There are no relegation fears in East London after the departure of Julen Lopetegui but despite sitting 16th in the league, with 30 points from 26 matches, there are reasons to be optimistic for the future.
This season is lost. As we said, the team shouldn’t fear relegation, instead, the team will most likely focus on establishing a system under the new manager Graham Potter, win as many matches possible this year, and build for next season. However, if things slot into place in the next few matches and string a few wins together, they could, as outsiders, end up in a Europa Conference League spot. While this position is a far cry from where West Ham are now, the recent win against city rivals Arsenal paints a bright picture for the future.
After a 0:1 win away at Emirates, the Hammers are entering the next fixtures on a high note. The last month or so wasn’t full of joy for fans of claret and blue, so a win against local rivals couldn’t have come at a better moment. A win like the one against Arsenal with a goal scored by Jarrod Bowen could spark a revival. While keeping the optimism in check is wise, let’s see what West ham could do this year.
Can West Ham Compete For Europe This Season?
As we said, being optimistic is one thing, but being completely unrealistic is another. As a West Ham fan, one might hold the faith in his team, but fighting for Europe this year? Is that realistic? Is it even possible? To answer that we need to take a look at the fixture list.
The good news for the Hammers is that their next opponent is Leicester City, a team battling relegation, and in an abysmal form both at home and away. After taking one against Arsenal, another win is on the horizon for the Hammers. Playing home against Leicester needs to be a win by all standards, and the Hammers are seen as clear-cut favorites by online casinos and sports betting outlets such as Stake, which speaks volumes about the difference in quality these teams possess. Winning this match would give West Ham two wins in a row and that’s not something that the fans have seen many times this season.
While two wins in a row now seems to be realistic, talking about three is not all that easy. Yes, WH only has PL to play for, but, their next home after the Leicester game is vs. Newcastle. The Magpies are playing some good football this year, and they’re not a team to be underestimated even on the home field. Taking a point from this fixture would be like three at home against Leicester. If West Ham manages to do that, or even win, they would come full of confidence to away fixtures against Everton and Wolves which are both winnable games.
What follows this stretch of games are a home game vs. Bournemouth and away fixture vs. Liverpool. The Cherries are the biggest surprise of the season, and they’re a team that plays better at home. West Ham almost took a win away in the south of England, so a home win in London is not out of question. When it comes to Liverpool, even the biggest fans wouldn’t see the team winning this one considering the way the Reds are playing, and their title aspirations.
Liverpool dropped out of the FA Cup, and now their sole focus is one the Champions League and the Premier League. This could pose an issue for West Ham putting a stop to their run, as is was even suggested during the Sergio Agüero Premier League interview, that while the Premier League title runs are often not decided until the last round, Liverpool has built enough advantage, while Arsenal and other rivals drop points, making them favourites despite a long way to go. It is hard to imagine they will drop points against West Ham despite struggling in more than a few matches as of late.
While losing to Liverpool is not the end of the world, losing points against Southampton would be a disaster. The last stretch of the games in 2024/25 season has a few easy and a few tricky games for the Hammers. The ones that are winnable by all means are duels vs. Ipswich and Manchester United as strange as that sounds, while matches vs. Tottenham, Brighton, and Nottingham Forest could be tricky.
As you can see, we’re tipping for West Ham to win somewhere between 16 and 22 points. In the best case scenario, if they win close to 20 in the remaining fixtures, they will have 51 come the end of the year. Last year, to get to a Europe spot, a team required 60 points to do so. This season, that tally will be way lower, at least to our estimates. Yet, even if that’s the case, it is hard to imagine West Ham reaching that point. We’re sorry for all the Hammers out there who love European games, but even if they hit their best form, dreaming about Europe simply is not wise.
Can West Ham Compete for Europe Next Season?
Regardless of the position West Ham ends up in this year, they will enter the next season with the highest possible ambitions. After all, Nottingham Forest have shown us what aggressiveness during a transfer window can do in a two year span. But, before you can buy, you need to sell, and trim down your wage budget. While we can’t be certain at what some of the moves regarding departures from East London are going to be, here’s what we think will happen and who will leave:
- Niclas Fullkrug – The German has failed to impress since his arrival from BVB. While not a bad striker by any means, the former Borussia man has failed to find his fitness in London. Often sidelined, it would appear that the pace and conditioning of English football do not suit him well. He is one of the first players expected to be sold under the new regime.
- Danny Ings & Michail Antonio – Both strikers have their deals expiring at the end of the year. Truth be told neither no longer has the quality to compete at the highest level of English football. West Ham will be thanking the two veterans and will be looking for their replacements as soon as they’re out the door. Considering that they will be available on free transfer maybe one of the newly promoted teams will be looking to add them to their respective squads but we predict that both will be playing in the Championship next season. If you’re a fan of online sports betting, you can bet on either to win the scoring title in the second tier of the English football pyramid when time comes.
- Carlos Soler – Big things were expected from the Spaniard, but so far, he’s failed to play any significant minutes for west ham and his contribution to the team was minimal. WH lacked creativity throughout the year, and Soler was nowhere to be found when needed. He will return to PSG as soon as his loan deal expires.
- Lucas Paqueta – While the Brazilian ace is one of the best West Ham players, if his illegal betting allegations are cleared, he will have plenty of suitors. Man City was after him last summer, and only the uncertainty about his future was what kept him at east London. This summer we will know the epilogue of the entire saga surrounding Lucas and if he’s clear to play and compete he will move to one of the top European sides.
- Mohammed Kudus – The Ghanaian international has failed to replicate his form from the debut season in the PL. While one of the best players in West ham, his sale will give the team funds to retool according to Graham Potter wishes. If he remains, expect great things from the midfielder next season.
- Defensive departures – For Graham Potter’s system to function, he will need quite a different profile of defensive players to work with. Because of this you can expect that experienced defenders such as Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal leave the team on a free. Some sources even suggest that Jean-Clair Todibo could face an exit after his contract is bought under an obligation from Nice.
As you can see a busy summer lies ahead of West Ham higher ups. Many departures and arrivals are expected. So, let’s take a look at who West Ham operatives could be eyeing.
Looking Ahead: West Ham Transfers, Departures, and a Revamped Squad
Predicting departures from clubs is always much easier than checking in on arrivals. In most cases, desires are one thing, and possibilities a different one. For the most part, the Hammers will be looking to strengthen their attack. The biggest desire in this department for Potter is former protégée Evan Ferguson who is currently on loan in East London. If Brighton remains reluctant to sell, the Hammers will turn their eyes toward the Ajax powerful striker Brian Brobbey.
In addition to these two names, the Hammers are also on the lookout for either replacements, backup options, or having an eye on the future of the team by adding younger alternatives. Thus, it comes as no surprise that they’re having an eye on two top young prospects of the Scottish Premier League in Daniel Cummings and Hamza Igamane.
While having plenty of options in attack is important, securing supply of assists to the strikers matters too. If everything goes according to WH & Potter’s plan, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will be playing in different parts of London next year. As far as assists go, West ham is ready to add more firepower to their midfield. According to some serious talks from Eastern Europe, the Hammers could be on the move for the Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Georgiy Sudakov. If they manage to materialize these two moves it won’t matter who plays upfront as the goals will rain from this midfield combo.
While there’s plenty left to be desired from the current West Ham squad and the updated one (regardless of the transfers that happen or do not happen), they ought to look better than this season. After all Graham Potter will have a full off-season to work with his squad, and the judgment on his time in Eats London will be made come the end of next season.
Content by stake
Image Source: unsplash.com