West Ham predictions: Difficult to see much improvement from Hammers
- Only relegated trio and Bournemouth lost more games than West Ham last season
- Captain Declan Rice has left for Arsenal
- Recommended bet: West Ham to finish in bottom half
An underwhelming Premier League performance in 2022-23 in the end meant very little for West Ham supporters, who witnessed their 43-year wait for a major trophy come to an end as the Irons beat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.
Another European adventure awaits the Hammers this term but the London Stadium faithful will be wanting an improvement on last season's 14th-place finish in the Premier League.
Last season
After finishing sixth and seventh in the previous two campaigns, West Ham were again expected to end up comfortably in the top half of the table last season.
But while they negotiated the group stage of the Europa Conference League with ease, the Hammers were extremely slow to get going in the league and were only 15th and four points clear of bottom club Wolves when the Premier League paused for the World Cup.
The Hammers picked up when things got going again to ease fears of the drop and by the season's end they had a six-point buffer to the relegated trio.
Almost half of the Hammers' 40-point tally were picked up in a 12-game stretch between January 21 and April 23, when they were beaten by only Tottenham, Brighton and Newcastle.
The manager
David Moyes is no stranger to the pressures of the West Ham hotseat but he has shushed the naysayers for now after guiding the Irons to European glory.
The Scot has credit in the bank with the club's owners after a couple of lofty Premier League finishes prior to last season's struggles and, of course, he masterminded that memorable June night in Prague.
But flirting with the relegation zone again could see his position come under scrutiny once more.
Transfers
The departure of inspirational skipper Declan Rice has understandably dominated West Ham's transfer business this summer.
A British record £105million fee has been pocketed from the sale of the England star but the Hammers are yet to reinvest that sum.
Reported moves for Chelsea playmaker Conor Gallagher and Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire have come to nought, and Irish youngster Sean Moore is the only new face at the London Stadium.
In addition to Rice's departure, Argentinian ace Manuel Lanzini has left for River Plate and left-back Arthur Masuaku has joined Besiktas.
Strengths and weaknesses
Of the sides who finished in the bottom half last season, only relegated pair Leicester and Leeds scored more goals than West Ham.
Jarrod Bowen, the hero of their European success, and Said Benrahma offer thrust and trickery from wide areas and there is hope that Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca will deliver on his goalscoring potential after an injury-hit first campaign in east London.
The jewel in the Irons' crown is Brazilian playmaker Lucas Paqueta, who showed last season that for all his flair, he is not averse to getting stuck in either — averaging almost three tackles per 90 minutes in 2022-23.
But the absence of Rice leaves a gaping hole in midfield and a valuable shield for a central defence lacking pace and ageing goalkeeper in Lukasz Fabianski.
A worrying lack of transfer activity is also a major concern and it would only take a couple of injuries for Moyes's options to begin to look thin.
Best outright bet
Relegation should not be a worry for West Ham but it is difficult to see how they improve on last season's bottom-half finish.
They will again have to juggle domestic and European commitments and their thin squad does not look ideally suited for the rigours of a third season in succession of potentially more than 50 games.
The departure of the world-class Rice is also a hammer blow to their prospects and it has to be a concern that no replacement for the England international has been sourced.
