Top four charge… It could be on

West Ham could be set for a top-four charge IF the signings pan out!

The Hammers have thus far secured Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola, Flynn Downes, and Gianluca Scamacca.

Areola, of course, is a known quantity after spending last season on loan at the club; Aguerd is unfortunately injured but there are hopes he will return and become a top player in the heart of defence; Downes is a superb prospect, whom Patrick Vieira, at Crystal Palace, was tracking. Enough said.

And then there’s Scamacca, who has come in with a CV of scoring goals in Italy.

If it all appears to click; there’s really the potential of making a charge, especially when one looks at how other clubs are getting on.

While Manchester City and Liverpool have strengthened, and so have Spurs, there is a cloud of uncertainty over both Chelsea and Manchester United. The former have struggled to buy anyone and the latter are being distracted by the Cristiano Ronaldo saga.

Elsewhere, Arsenal can’t ever be trusted, and the likes of Leicester and Aston Villa are a unknown too.

The Irons have kept the bulk of their squad together – Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek both remain – and have also sprinkled some real quality on top.

There is the hope of adding further reinforcements, too, with the likes of Filip Kostic remaining a target.

If, and it may be a big if, the Hammers can genuinely click this season, and a push to take that final Champions League spot does not look at all out of the question.