🦁 PL Previews: Can West Ham be more than best of the rest? | OneFootball

There’s a big six, or a top six, whatever you want to call it. And then there’s West Ham.

Leicester were long considered the next side in line but the Hammers finished 6th (behind the Foxes) in 2020/21 and 7th (ahead of them) last season.

Can they go on another long run in Europe or even break into the top four this time around?

Click here to see all of our season previews so far.

Transfers 🔁

In: Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo, £35m), Nayef Aguerd (Rennes, £29.8m), Flynn Downes (Swansea, £12m), Alphonse Areola (PSG, £7.8m)

Out: Mark Noble (retired), Andriy Yarmolenko (Al-Ain, free), Ryan Fredericks (Bournemouth, free), Sonny Perkins (Leeds, free), David Martin (released)

Transfer balance: -£83.5m

Key fixtures 📆

🔑 Key player: Declan Rice

It looks like it will be at least another year at the club for Declan Rice, who has looked better and better with each passing season.

The 23-year-old has attracted interest from some of the league’s heavyweights but West Ham seem to have no intention of letting their talismanic midfielder go.

Nobody works harder than the rock solid midfielder, who protects the defence as well as he helps the team play out from the back.

Rice has continued to develop both sides of his game to become one of the league’s leading midfielders. He is central to David Moyes’ side and fans better relish 2022/23 in case it is his last for the club.

What has changed since last season? 🤔

One-club man and West Ham legend Mark Noble has retired. This will be the first time the Hammers play a season without the midfielder appearing for them since the 2003/04 campaign.

But the biggest change will be the level of expectation. West Ham were in the fight for top four until spring and reached the Europa League semi-finals, proving their sixth-place finish in 2020/21 was no accident. The bar has now been set.

And they now have the squad depth to sustain a challenge. Gianluca Scamacca has arrived to finally offer Michail Antonio some support and/or competition up front and Nayef Aguerd arrives for big money in defence.

Big things will be expected of both, while lifelong Hammers fan Flynn Downes arrives from Swansea as Noble’s midfield replacement.

Predicted XI 🔮

(4-4-2) — Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Bowen, Souček, Rice, Fornals; Scamacca, Antonio

Where will they finish? 🏆

Premier League: 8th FA Cup: Quarter-final EFL Cup: Semi-final

Click here to see all of our season previews so far.