A busy summer ahead for Slaven Bilic and West Ham United
Now that the curtain has been drawn on what has been a phenomenal season for West Ham, we’ve entered that time of the year where anyone from Zlatan Ibrahimović to Matt Richie has been linked with the club.
It’s a well-documented fact that Slaven Bilic wants to strengthen the current squad, along with David Gold stating the club hopes to bring in “7-8 players”.
The club want a right-back, to provide competition for Sam Byram and to add to the squad depth. Gregory van der Wiel is a player we have been heavily linked with and who we have reportedly offered a contract to, as his is up at PSG in the summer.
His experience is something that the squad could benefit from in the Europa League now that we are officially in the 3rd round play-off, due to Manchester United’s FA Cup win.
With the current media speculation surrounding our search for a striker, countless rumours have been circulating on social media that we’ve bid on numerous strikers.
In terms of who the board are genuinely are looking at; Alexandre Lacazette is a target for the Irons, with a club-record bid of £31 million for the French international being submitted. Unfortunately, this was rejected by the French outfit. It is believed that Lacazette still remains the clubs number one target. The club is still focusing on bringing in a 20+ goal a season striker, whether it be Lacazette or not, as current interest from PSG has made the board aware that their attentions may have to go elsewhere.
A player from La Liga that has also been linked is Cedric Bakambu, the Villarreal striker who has had a prolific season in Spain. Notching 22 goals in all competitions this campaign, the DR Congo international, 25, has demonstrated on a domestic and European level that he can perform, something which is certainly part of the criteria for whoever is the incoming striker for West Ham.
Bilic has done exceptionally well in his recruitment thus far for the club, bringing in the likes of Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio, so given his track record to date, I believe the club will only invest in the very best, in order to push forward.
Players such as: Alex Song, Victor Moses and Carl Jenkinson have all already departed the club after their loan periods. Potential outgoing first team players are: Enner Valencia, who has interest from China, Diafra Sakho who has reported interest from Borussia Monchengladbach and local favourite James Tomkins.
The club has a lot of options defensively with Bilic seeing Angelo Ogbonna and Winston Reid as his defensive partnership going forward. Reported interested from: Swansea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace may see Tomkins depart the club, after joining 19 years ago in 1997. As sad as it would be to see such a loyal servant leave the club, if an offer equal to or above £10 million was offered, they would entertain it.
One player who has been continuously linked with the club since the arrival of Bilic is Gökhan Tore, the Besiktas winger has been admired by Bilic since his days at Chelsea. With uncertainty around how much the Turkish winger is available for, it’s not a guarantee that we’ll see him in the claret and blue strip, but if a deal which intrigues the club arises, it could potentially lead to another piece of shrewd business done by the board.
Another attacking option that the club is exploring is Hatem Ben Arfa. The French international seems to of reinvented himself at Nice. With his contract expiring in the summer, Ben Arfa is hot property in the free-agent market, with a variety of clubs circling around the midfielder. A player who was once described as “one of the best-rated talents in France” is worth taking a chance on, although it would be a risk to sign someone who has had issues with consistency and attitude. A potential risk worth taking in Bilic’s eyes, if he believes he can integrate him with the current squad.
With what is likely to be the busiest transfer window the fans have seen in recent years, along with successfully obtaining European qualification, the club seem to be continuing in the right direction.
Which one of these forwards would you sign this summer?
Alexandre Lacazette
2015/16 Stats:
Club: Olympique Lyonnais
Appearances: 43
Goals: 23
Assists: 3
Alexandre Lacazette
2015/16 Stats:
Club: Olympique Lyonnais
Appearances: 43
Goals: 23
Assists: 3
Alexandre Lacazette
2015/16 Stats:
Club: Olympique de Marseille
Appearances: 51
Goals: 24
Assists: 9
Michy Batshuayi
2015/16 Stats:
Club: Olympique de Marseille
Appearances: 51
Goals: 24
Assists: 9
Cedric Bakambu
2015/16 Stats:
Club: Villarreal CF
Appearances: 52
Goals: 23
Assists: 3
Cedric Bakambu
2015/16 Stats:
Club: Villarreal CF
Appearances: 52
Goals: 23
Assists: 3
Carlos Bacca
2015/16 Stats:
Club: A.C. Milan
Appearances: 47
Goals: 22
Assists: 2
Carlos Bacca
2015/16 Stats:
Club: A.C. Milan
Appearances: 47
Goals: 22
Assists: 2