A dream West Ham starting XI for the 2025/26 season | OneFootball

Regardless of the narrative you'd like to use to sum up the 2024/25 Premier League season, I think any reasonable person would sum up the campaign as "unacceptable" in terms of the results. West Ham invested pretty heavily in the squad in the summer transfer window and watched as all their pretty poorly contrived plans blew up in flames underneath the guidance of a manager no well-versed organization would have hired for this project. (Yes, I am talking about Julen Lopetegui).

West Ham have to wipe the slate clean for new manager Graham Potter, who has been able to tinker with this subpar squad, given grace by the sheer ineptitude of this crop of promoted Championship sides. But West Ham probably won't be so lucky next season, and, even if they are, the streak of bottom-half performances in the table won't be tolerated for much longer.

So who could West Ham bring in to their squad next season? In an ideal world, here's a look at how their starting XI could line up in the 2025/26 season.

GK James Trafford

West Ham can't go into the next season with the same situation at goalkeeper, because they are siphoning points in the table with repeated backbreaking errors from Alphonse Areola, who has never really been a consistent starter at any level in his career. And at this stage, he's a massive liability who showed those colors in the Hammers recent draw to Bournemouth, which would have been a 2-0 win with a better keeper between the sticks.

I don't see how West Ham can justify skimping out on this position, because it's at least as big of a priority as striker; I'd take Niclas Fullkrug over Areola in a vacuum any day of the week. The best option I see for West Ham is young James Trafford, who has set the Championship alight this season with Burnley, owning a whopping 86 save percentage. The 22-year-old would already be an immediate upgrade on Areola.

CB Max Kilman

There's not much that needs to be said about Max Kilman, because he's been worth every bit of the nearly 50 million euros that the Hammers spent to sign him from Wolves. He is a warrior who is rarely beaten in one-on-ones, leads the line with a lion heart, reads the game well, and puts his body on the line to make every block. Kilman is the new centerpiece of the Graham Potter back three.

CB Jean-Clair Todibo

Jean-Clair Todibo is going to be purchased permanently for 40 million euros, and while you could argue that it's slightly above his market value, it's not a bad deal for the Frenchman who has yet to hit his prime as a center back. Todibo has a technical class that is above the rest of his peers in defense, and he's more valuable to West Ham than he is as a slight net loss on the transfer market if sold.

CB Chrislain Matsima

It's time for West Ham to move on from Konstantinos Mavropanos. The Premier League as a whole isn't the best fit for his playing style, and he makes far too many mental errors to be tenured at the London Stadium for any longer.

I personally love going after Bundesliga players, because they are often exceptional talents who are significantly undervalued. Evan N'Dicka, Ibrahima Konate, and now Maxence Lacroix are three high-profile center backs who shined in Germany at an early age before becoming centerpiece players abroad.

Chrislain Matsima is one of this year's breakout stars as the top defender on an overachieving Augsburg side, as the 22-year-old has been one of the best young players and one of the best overall center backs in the league. He is averaging 0.8 tackles, 1.9 interceptions, 1.0 blocks, and just 0.3 dribbles completed allowed. Matsima could be the next big thing, and since most people have never heard of him, West Ham can strike while the iron is hot and the rumor mill is cold.

LWB Nathaniel Brown

Staying in the Bundesliga, I think West Ham also need to get in on Nathaniel Brown early, as he looks like the latest potential sensation from Eintracht Frankfurt, which produces intriguing talents on the regular.

As much as I have an affinity for Emerson Palmieri, I think at his age, he makes more sense as a rotational option and is better in a back four than as a wing back; he doesn't get forward as well anymore.

Brown is an excellent ball-winner who averages nearly three tackles per game while being a serious threat on the attacking end. The 21-year-old German wing back has seven goal contributions this season for Frankfurt and is a highly underrated creator who works as hard as anyone on the pitch. I can't think of a better fit for Potter at the position than him.

CM Lamine Camara

I've been banging the drum for Lamine Camara all season long as a great transfer target for any Premier League side in need of midfield help, and West Ham may need midfield talent more than any other club.

They don't have a single long-term solution in their lineup. James Ward-Prowse is a luxury playmaker only there for set pieces, Edson Alvarez should be on his way out of the Premier League, Guido Rodriguez would be criticized more as a flop if he weren't a free agent, and Tomas Soucek is a great club servant who should be transitioning to a backup role.

Camara is young, fresh, and an ideal box-to-box midfielder who has the physical and mental tools to work well in the Premier League. He has been a revelation for Monaco this season at 21 with 6 assists and 3.3 combined tackles and interceptions per game. West Ham could benefit greatly from that skill-set.

CM Angelo Stiller

For the third and final time, I will head to the Bundesliga for another splashy transfer target. There are a lot of big clubs looking at Angelo Stiller, including purportedly former German national team and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick over at LaLiga leaders Barcelona.

Stiller has been one of the best breakout midfielders over the last two seasons in the Bundesliga and is a controlling midfielder whom Potter needs to take a serious look at signing. Midfielders of Stiller's profile who can create from deep and read the game at a high level defensively are a rarity and invaluable in the modern game.

West Ham have a gaping hole for such a player, and it is, in my opinion, the most pressing need for the Hammers this summer. If they can't find a midfielder who can dictate the game, then they can pretty much pencil in another disastrous season. Their midfield needs a linking element, and the equally classy and stingy Stiller is the man for the job.

RWB Aaron Wan-Bissaka

The best signing of the past summer transfer window, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has given West Ham one of the best right backs in Europe for the price of less than 20 million euros. Wan-Bissaka is a hard-working player who gets forward with gusto and is one of the most shutdown defensive right backs you will find. He isn't going anywhere.

AM Lucas Paqueta

I won't even begin to pretend to know what the future holds for Lucas Paqueta, but he's a nailed-on starter for West Ham whenever he's available. Paqueta is like a pitbull out there, willing to defend and harry opposition defenders into mistakes that West Ham can quickly capitalize on. He's a skilled playmaker with decent end product and creativity. I wouldn't call Paqueta anywhere close to an elite playmaker, but he's a good footballer.

LW Crysencio Summerville

Crysencio Summerville flashed potential in his first season at West Ham, and while he still has a very long way to go before he can be considered a sure-fire starter at the left wing position in the Premier League, there's no question in my mind that he has the potential to be a star.

I don't think West Ham are going to find a better left winger on the transfer market this summer - at least not somebody they can reasonably sign within their budget. It's better for West Ham to use their money on midfielders, a striker, and a goalkeeper than to prioritize a position in which they already invested in a couple of young players. They need to let Summerville and Luis Guilherme sink or swim.

ST Jonathan David

While I understand the notion that West Ham won't necessarily be competitive for Jonathan David when there are teams with actual European football on the horizon interested in a striker who just competed in the Champions League.

But I think if West Ham can present the right project around David - cough, cough, the right amount of wages - then they have a fair shot at signing him. Personally, I think David's wage demands will be too rich for West Ham, but I'd like to see the Hammers prove me wrong and make the plunge anyway.

You won't find too many strikers yet to hit their prime with a proven 15-goal track record and strong all-around play hit the free agent waters. David isn't a proverbial ace in the hole, but he's a much better long-term solution than Niclas Fullkrug, who, while a good player, doesn't have much future upside to offer at 32.

RW Jarrod Bowen

Jarrod Bowen is the most obvious starter of them all. He's one of the best goal-scoring, left-footed right wingers in the game and someone who is willing to run his socks off to defend and create chances for the team. Bowen is West Ham, and the Hammers are lucky to have him.