A key summer lies ahead for David Moyes' Hammers, Ninad Barbadikar looks at the areas they need to address in the transfer market this summer.
What was the 21/22 season like for the Hammers?
A 3-2 win against Liverpool at home lifted West Ham to third in the league table after ten matches, the start was incredibly promising, and everything looked set for an unforgettable campaign for David Moyes and co.
Looking back now, it is safe to say, it was a campaign of highs and lows for Hammers fans. In the Europa League, their journey to reach the semi-finals and miss the final itself was both exhilarating and heart-breaking all the same.
Beating the likes of Lyon and previous champions Sevilla on the way to the semi-finals, it seemed like they were well set to do the unthinkable. Eintracht Frankfurt proved to be a hurdle too much in the end, the German side ended up as the eventual champions, beating Rangers in Seville.
In the league, there were many memorable results, especially at the London Stadium, where they managed to beat Liverpool, Chelsea as well as Tottenham.
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Ultimately, their inability to do business and Moyes' stubbornness to hold out for the right profile cost them invaluable depth in the final stretch of the campaign.
After much promise in the first part of the season, the Hammers eventually finished 7th in the league, qualifying for European competitions once again, this time the UEFA Europa Conference League.
There were many individuals who had standout seasons, but Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen have stood out more than most for their contributions to the Hammers.
Both players are near impossible to sell for the club and given the season they've just had, any club wanting to pursue moves for Bowen and Rice would have to pay a hefty premium.
That being said, this summer and Moyes' moves in the transfer window will go a long way in determining where the Hammers go from here.
Who do West Ham need to sign?
Moyes and co. will have to revisit the same problems they had back in the January window, primarily, finding an able back-up and long-term replacement for Michail Antonio.
To address that, the club have been persistent in securing Armando Broja this summer window. While he does not offer the same strengths as Antonio does, Broja's addition would improve the age profile of Moyes' side and bring a player with exciting potential to the London Stadium.
Finding a backup for Antonio like for like this summer is going to be tricky and will most definitely need West Ham to pay big money.
Broja scored six goals in 21/22 for Southampton on loan, averaging xG/95 of 0.29 according to Infogol. In 21 appearances for the Saints, Broja also showed a lot more to his game than just goals and brings impressive qualities off the ball.
Ability to find space and drag defenders towards the channels to create space for others, he is not a menace for defenders to handle in the same way that Antonio is and there is still room for improvement in his game.
Another option worth considering in the Premier League is Brentford's Ivan Toney. Helping the club to a mid-table finish, Toney scored 12 goals from an xG of 13.14 and assisted a further 5 in the league.
Benefitting from the arrival of Christian Eriksen, Toney's profile will suit Moyes' side overall.
The 26-year-old is not a conventional striker by any means but like Antonio, is able to combine well with creative players around him and is great at finding pockets of space to threaten opposition defences from.
Any move for him will cost big money given his importance to Brentford and his status at the club. The club have already lost a key presence in Eriksen this summer and losing Toney might be out of the question.
Another option worth looking at, is Udinese striker Beto. The 24-year-old joined the Serie A side last summer and has hit the ground running in his debut season - scoring 11 goals from an xG of 11.92.
His physical profile and variety of movement in attacking the opposition penalty area makes him a considerable threat from open-play and counter-attacking situations as well.
Even in set-piece situations, Beto's height is of great advantage to set-piece takers attempting to find him in dangerous positions.
Even more so during counterattacks, Beto's ability to breeze past defenders comes to the fore. He averaged 2.06 completed dribbles per match last season, indicating his effectiveness coming up and getting past markers during attacks.
Depth in midfield an issue
Club legend Mark Noble announced his retirement at the end of the 21/22 season and will leave a huge gap to be filled in the dressing room.
Czech midfielder Alex Kral failed to impress during loan stint and has returned to parent club Spartak. That leaves the club with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek as the only two recognised senior midfielders.
Flynn Downes joined from MK Dons and will provide some respite in the midfield department for the Hammers, but greater quality is needed in that side.
Lille's Amadou Onana has been a big target for Moyes this summer and the club have made him a priority this window.
Primarily a central midfielder, the Belgium international can play a deeper defensive role in the pivot and is able to play as a box-to-box midfielder as well.
Standing at 6"4', Onana has an exceptional physique and great intensity to his game which allows him to win the ball back from opponents repeatedly and cover a lot of ground in the process of doing so.
The 20-year-old averaged 3.45 tackles per 90 last season in Ligue 1 and had an impressive success rate of 87% along the way.
Onana has already been capped at international level and also captained the Belgium U21 side. He impressed on the big stage against Netherlands for Belgium, which led to praise from manager Roberto Martinez.
He said: "He has a strong personality. We saw him as soon as he started playing. He never hides, he asks for the ball and dares. That’s why I wanted to bring him into a situation of pressure. In a full stadium and a derby. He will be able to develop with our team."
Those words will no doubt be music to the ears of Hammers fans and if they are able to bring him to the Premier League, the youngster can continue his development under Moyes and be an important player in the long run for West Ham.
Another Ligue 1 midfielder who could prove to be a value acquisition for the Hammers is Bordeaux's Jean Onana.
Although the 21/22 season was disastrous for the French side, resulting in relegation from the top-flight, Onana was one of the few players who impressed across the course of the campaign.
Onana is a box-to-box midfielder, who likes to go forward with the ball and dribble past markers. He is very intense in his defensive work and leaves no stone unturned.
In fact, according to FBref, Onana averaged 24.81 pressures per match last season in Ligue 1, placing him in the 93rd percentile for this metric for all midfielders across the Top Five Leagues.
He also averaged 1.18 completed dribbles per match last season and to produce numbers like this in a poor Bordeaux side suggests that he will only improve when surrounded by better players.
He also pops up with direct goal involvement and scored three times from an xG of 2.01 and assisted a further two in Ligue 1 last season.
A different kind of profile when compared to Amadou Onana, Jean Onana is 22 and far better used as a box-to-box number 8 in Moyes' system. He would fit the Hammers' counter-attacking style like a glove.
Quality in attacking midfield
The club have also been linked with moves for Jesse Lingard and Dwight McNeil more recently.
Lingard's productive loan spell in the second half of the 20/21 season showed that the 29-year-old still has plenty to give in the Premier League.
In that period, he scored nine goals from an xG of 5.33 and assisted a further four.
Given West Ham's European commitments and the burnout experienced towards the end of last season, having someone like Lingard will only benefit the team to go deeper into the UEFA Europa Conference League.
McNeil is another sensible signing on Moyes' part and at the age of 22, ticks a lot of boxes for West Ham to have a home-grown English player in their ranks.
A wide left midfielder, McNeil so far has not been able to broaden his offensive skillset as much because of his role at Burnley and being asked to do defensive work more often than not.
He has shown glimpses in the past of being more than just an industrious wide midfielder and at West Ham, he could have the perfect opportunity to join a club whose future is trending upwards and in doing so, also explore a different side to his game.
All in all, this summer remains key for West Ham's now and future.
With the club looking like they will keep Rice and Bowen for at least another season, they will have to make the most of what they have and push for glory in Europe once again this year.
