Former West Ham attacking midfielder Joe Cole has claimed the Hammers can go all the way in the Europa League this season.
David Moyes’ side have been drawn in Group H alongside Dinamo Zagreb, Rapid Vienna and Genk – starting their campaign in Croatia next Thursday night.
The Irons qualified for the second-tier European competition following a sixth-place finish in the Premier League last term.
Speaking to The Athletic, Cole claimed that the east London club could go on to lift the trophy at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Villarreal won the Europa League last season but Villarreal are not better than West Ham. Michail Antonio walks into their team, so does Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma. If Villarreal can win the Europa League, then so too can West Ham.
Villarreal had to overcome Premier League runners-up on penalties last season to win the Europa League.
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Qualifying out of the group should be an attainable target for the Irons.
What happens next could rely heavily on the luck of the draw, especially when UEFA Champions League sides drop into the competition.
Whilst there can be little doubt Moyes has the quality at his disposal to go deep, the likes of Lyon, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen and Lazio will rightfully be favoured to lift the title in Seville next year.
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