West Ham Target Revival After Dismal Premier League Season | OneFootball

West Ham United head into the 2025/26 campaign determined to atone for a dreadful season last year amid a transitional summer.

Expectations were sky-high going into the 2024/25 season, with the club placing their trust in Julen Lopetegui to lead them back to the European stage.

However, the Spaniard’s stint in the Premier League came to a notorious end in January, with the Hammers languishing near the bottom of the table and out of contention for European qualification.

Lopetegui’s successor, Graham Potter, failed to bring the necessary improvements, resulting in West Ham settling for a second 14th-place finish in three years.

Without the distraction of continental action, Potter will have a full season to focus solely on domestic duties and try to steer the London outfit back into the top-seven frame.

Given West Ham’s underwhelming transfer activity this summer, it will be easier said than done. Without further ado, here is our West Ham season preview for 2025/26.

West Ham Fixtures

After a season of disappointments, kicking things off in the new campaign with a win would be a welcome boost as West Ham travel to the Stadium of Light to take on newly promoted Sunderland on the opening weekend.

The Hammers’ first home game of 2025/26 pits them against fellow London rivals Chelsea in round two, followed by a visit to the City Ground for a match against Nottingham Forest before the international break.

Early September brings consecutive London derbies against Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace on home turf, before a cross-capital away clash against Arsenal at the start of October.

The festive period will not be kind to Potter’s side as they meet reigning champions Liverpool in their final outing of 2025 before starting the new calendar year away to Manchester United.

An action-packed January features two all-London showdowns against Tottenham (A) and Chelsea (A). February looks equally daunting, with West Ham facing Man Utd (H) and Liverpool (A) within a two-week span.

May promises to be busy for the Irons, starting with back-to-back London derbies against Brentford (A) and Arsenal (H), followed by a challenging trip to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle United.

West Ham’s season ends at home against newcomers Leeds United.

Manager

Despite his tactical flexibility and unconventional coaching methods, Potter’s career has been in freefall since swapping Brighton & Hove Albion for Chelsea in 2022.

After a dismal stint at Stamford Bridge, the 50-year-old hoped to bounce back when West Ham came calling, only to flop in his first season at the London Stadium.

In his defence, the team was bereft of confidence when he took over.

However, to describe Potter’s 28 percent win ratio across 18 league games in charge of the Hammers as disappointing would be a massive understatement.

Improvement is in order if he is to turn West Ham’s fortunes around and prove that his career-defining spell in Sussex was not just a stroke of good luck.

The club chiefs must also hold up their end of the bargain and provide him with the resources required to challenge for top spots, as we examine West Ham’s summer dealings.

Transfers

After years of wasting money on overpaid flops and misfit characters, the Hammers have taken a more diligent approach in this summer’s Premier League transfer window.

El Hadji Malick Diouf remains the club’s marquee signing, with West Ham paying Sparta Prague £19 million to land the 20-year-old left-back.

Diouf comes in to replace long-serving stalwart Aaron Cresswell, who left the club as a free agent, along with several other stars.

Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Danny Ings, Lukasz Fabianski and Michail Antonio are no longer on the club’s payroll, as West Ham refused to offer them new contracts at the end of last season.

Standout forward Mohammed Kudus moved across town to join Tottenham in a £55m deal, leaving a sizeable gap in the final third that the Hammers have yet to fill.

West Ham have focused on plugging defensive leaks.

In addition to Diouf, they’ve signed Kyle Walker-Peters from Southampton on a Bosman deal and made Jean Clair-Todibo’s loan transfer from OGC Nice permanent for a reported fee of €40m.

Callum Wilson has arrived as a free agent to replace Antonio, but his signing may not be enough.

There’s still plenty of time for the Hammers to add to their attacking options, and it’s hard to see them sit tight in August.

Starting XI

Based on West Ham’s pre-season friendlies, it’s almost impossible to predict which formation Potter will use at the start of next season.

He’s no stranger to a 3-5-2 set-up, but the Hammers have also lined up in a 4-4-2, keeping everyone guessing.

Nevertheless, Alphonse Areola should be the number-one choice in goal after Fabianski’s departure.

West Ham head into the new season with a new full-back pairing, with Diouf and Walker-Peters taking over from Cresswell and Coufal.

Despite Todibo’s substantial transfer fee, Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos should get the nod in defence over him and Nayef Aguerd.

James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek are the likeliest candidates to play at the heart of the midfield, while Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville could be on the flanks.

Lucas Paqueta has been the key creative force for years and should act as a second striker behind Niclas Fullkrug unless the Hammers sign a new center-forward towards the end of the transfer window.

(4-4-2): Areola; Diouf, Kilman, Mavropanos, Walker-Peters; Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Soucek, Summerville; Paqueta, Fullkrug.

Star Player

Paqueta may be West Ham’s most prized asset, but Bowen remains the heart and soul of the team.

The diminutive forward was a rare shining light at the London Stadium last season, finishing the campaign as the only Irons player to post a double-double in the Premier League.

He scored 13 goals and added 10 assists in 34 matches.

Whoever joins West Ham this summer will likely play a supporting role to the 28-year-old, who continues to lead by example.

Prediction

A top-half finish is the bare minimum you’d expect from a team of this calibre.

However, Potter’s men have become notorious for underperforming the odds and failing to maintain momentum.

Those nasty habits have been West Ham’s undoing in recent seasons, casting significant doubts on their lofty expectations.

A return to the European stage is wishful thinking at this point, as a mid-table finish looks far more likely.

Predicted finish: 10th.

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Read Next: Our full Premier League 2025/26 preview (with links to all individual Premier League team previews).