Euro West 'am

I'll be the first to say I was wrong about this West Ham team. They've gone from relegation candidates to the Europa League. David Moyes deserves credit for turning it around. Looking ahead to next season, there are some issues that need ironing out, no pun intended. One is depth, which will be an issue for sure, in that there are a number of positions with one player capable of playing the role. The second is style, and I'll get on to that.

A look at depth, firstly. Balbuena and Martin are out of contract, so I'll assume neither is kept on. Lingard has been a hit, and it's well past time to make a move from Man Utd, so let's say the Hammers find a deal once the loan's over. That's a fee coming out of the transfer kitty. Knowing how things work, I'll also mention the players with a year left. Those are Yarmolenko, Noble, Ogbonna, Fredericks, Johnson, and Fabianski. The first two should go, Yarmolenko this summer to get some sort of fee and let Noble retire/move on next year. I'd re-sign Ogbonna, since he starts. Fredericks isn't good enough, so let him go this summer if there's a decent offer. Tie down Johnson if you believe in him. Decide whether Fabianski is good enough and if he'll have longevity, considering his age. If so, re-sign. If not, bring in his replacement this summer, as I don't trust Randolph. Areola is an obvious shout, unless PSG want to keep him. He's made Fulham look much better defensively than they actually are.

Continuing with the squad, I'll go over who starts and rotation options. Soucek has played every minute, so there's that. Need someone to back him up for sure. Next is Cresswell, who has played nearly 35 of the 37 league games. Masuaku can play as a wing back, and I guess Johnson can operate on the left, but you want another guy able to fill that role. His delivery from crosses and set pieces is invaluable to the style Moyes has them playing. Fabianski is next, minutes wise, and I discussed him already. Coufal, the other Czech, has played 33/37 and has no obvious replacement, unless you try to force Fredericks or Johnson into his role (not a great idea). Rice follows up. He's the best player in the squad, and if he goes down the system is screwed. As in, Soucek has to adjust from a box-to-box role to a holding one, and the attack suffers greatly. Assuming Rice stays, of course, he'll still need an understudy. Fornals and Bowen are next. I pair them because they generally support the striker, Antonio (the only one suited to the role at this point). Lanzini can cover for Fornals, and I guess Yarmolenko does some of what Bowen does. But I still don't trust either of those to be fit or in form, and I already mentioned that Yarmolenko should be sold. Lingard, however, has come in and filled a role, so that's not a priority. Benrahma as well operates in those areas, having signed permanently from Brentford. Ogbonna has started and played 27 games. He's the most important central defender, and he's paired with Diop or Dawson in the back four. Lastly, in terms of vital players, is Antonio. He's a hard-working target man. If I were to pick two players currently at a high level to compare him to, they'd be Belotti and Gerard Moreno. Those two should be at the Euros with their respective countries, maybe even starting, and it shows that Antonio has sustained good form for a whole season for once. That said, he has his injury issues, and is aging, so you need at least one guy to come in.

I compare West Ham to Wolves in that they have good players, but they play defensive, direct football. At some point, opposing teams will come to their senses and stop allowing Moyes to dictate the game. As in, they sit back and counter, every single game. It stopped working for Wolves, in part due to fatigue, as well as the injury to Raul, but it's not a sustainable way to play football in Europe. Two other sides I'd compare them to are Newcastle and Palace, both content at this point just staying in the division. Speaking of Wolves, Moyes has also operated with a small squad, something that will be impossible with midweek football. I don't trust the board to give the funds to actually fill out the squad with suitable signings. If they do, great! I just doubt it. So yeah, two issues, maybe three. Having to fill out the squad, other teams adjusting to the way they play, and potential burnout from playing the same way for multiple seasons, this time with extra fixtures to deal with.

All that said, I'll now give my picks for who I'd bring in.

LB - Ludwig Augustinsson is the one for this position. The Sweden international currently plays for a bad Werder Bremen, but let's be real, that's not relevant to what he can do. He plays as an LB in a back four, or as a LWB in a back five. Thus, he can play with Cresswell in a 5 or cover for him in a 4. Defensively, he doesn't intercept much, but he ranks high in blocks, clearances, and aerials won. He also thrives on the ball, with 2.76 shot-creating actions per 90, resulting in .16 assists per 90 in a team that struggles to score.

CF - if it were me, personally, I'd be selling Antonio at age 31 while he still has value, and bringing in two strikers. Those being Belotti and Tammy Abraham. Reason being, Belotti is younger and does the same thing as Antonio, but 4 years younger and without the hamstring issues. Abraham is like Lingard in that he's at a super club and just needs to blossom. He did it at Villa, and his numbers this year are better than the strikers Tuchel has given time to. This is a perfect value signing, I reckon. He also helps alleviate the stylistic problems. Let me explain. Antonio is the guy who runs the channels and helps you get out when you're playing a low block. Abraham is the guy you bring into play when the other team plays a low block. A skilled target man, I'd call him. Antonio is a converted winger. The difference between Abraham and Haller, who was barely given a chance, is Abraham is mobile. I've also seen Edouard linked. He's young, which is good, but I've not seen enough of him to properly judge. Sima from Slavia Prague has been rumored as well, and I've seen even less of him. I honestly don't see Abraham or Belotti coming in, as the club is cheap. Just my hunch.

RB - I have two immediate picks for this position. One is Johnson, who's already there. The other Coufal backup/rotation option, at least in the short term, is Christopher Trimmel. He captains Union Berlin, a team also playing in Europe, and is a dead-ball specialist. 2.61 SCA/90, .25 assists/90 (.15 expected), 1.66 interceptions and 3.18 clearances per 90. The major drawback is his age, at 34. But then again, if you rate Johnson for the future and have Coufal in his prime, this would work, no? Trimmel wouldn't cost much and would contribute for West Ham. However, they'll cheap out and go with Fredericks and Johnson, plus I see Trimmel wanting to stay at Union now that they've (somehow) reached Europe.

CM - this is gonna be a bit out there, but Leandro Barreiro, Luxembourgish player at Mainz. Basically, here's how I look at this pick. Soucek is a box-to-box presence when Rice sits for him, so I'm looking for a guy who runs for days. Barreiro does this. He's short, which is a downside, but so is Noble (who has no legs at this point), and that's the only option currently on the bench, unless you toss Coventry in there. He's actually decent in the air, winning 2.14 aerials per 90. Also, for a team that prefers to not have the ball, he's tailor made for that. What he currently lacks is ability on the ball. The style thing wouldn't be helped by him, in the sense that he isn't a great passer or dribbler, but he does ALL the dirty work. His contract is up in 2022 and he's only valued at 6.75m pounds on TM. Also from the Bundesliga, much more polished, is Jonas Hector. He's played in midfield for Cologne, having made his name as a left back. Statistically, he's similar to Soucek (defensively sound, good in the air), hence why I mention him. On the older side, but a leader and more consistent.

DM - Mario Lemina is the name you're looking for. He does more or less what Rice does, and Southampton don't want him. Fulham are relegated, while West Ham are in Europe. Which would you pick? Not as good on the ball as Rice, but slightly bulkier and puts himself about more. Been in the league for a while, played for Juve. Already living in London. Won't be expensive. No brainer. Alex Kral has been linked of lately, probably the Czech connection, and that would make sense as well.

CB - a few options here. One of my favorites, Sebastiaan Bornauw (22), from Cologne. Like Augustinsson, he's in a bad team. At the same time, he's young, plays for Belgium at the U21 level, and has size (6'3", 179 pounds). A data-driven one is Joaquin Fernandez (24) of Valladolid. Finally, we have John Egan (28), relegated with Sheffield United. If have a theory here that most of the similar players on fbref are based on style of play. I say this because Ogbonna doesn't really stand out, statistically. This is probably down to the way the side plays. Safe passing, goals from set pieces, do most of their defending deep, big lads that are good in the air, not many errors because the defenders aren't isolated... all common with teams trying to avoid relegation. Anyway, you don't even NEED a CB if Balbuena stays as a backup. That said, if it were me, I'd let him go. The more "now" pick would be Fernandez, but the best player is Bornauw. Another somewhat outside shout is Ozan Kabak. Apparently he's not signing for Liverpool, since they're getting Konate, and he'd make sense for West Ham. Used to playing a high line as well, so if Moyes ever decides to play attacking football he'll be suited to that.

So yeah, six players seems a decent number to bring in. Five if Balbuena stays, although I made it clear I'd let him walk. To reiterate, they'd be Abraham, Augustinsson, Barreiro, Bornauw/Fernandez, Lemina, and Trimmel. Two already accustomed to Premier League football, the rest from the Bundesliga (or Spain, if Fernandez over Bornauw). Abraham the headliner, as he's the best footballer and scores goals, but the others would be astute business. I just wonder how long Moyes can succeed playing only one way, especially with more games and other teams becoming wise to how to stop his Plan A. Part of that can be solved with Abraham and Trimmel, guys who will thrive in a crossing-based style of play, as well as Augustinsson to provide competition/cover to Cresswell.