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The Hammers could go big in the summer transfer window - if they manage to avoid relegation
West Ham took a big step towards Premier League survival last Friday night, when a top class performance from Nuno Espirito’s side saw them bulldoze past bottom of the table Wolverhampton Wanderers with an emphatic 4-0 win at the London Stadium.
Thanks to Tottenham losing at Sunderland and Nottingham Forest drawing with Aston Villa, the Irons are now two points clear of the relegation zone with six games to go. With all but one of their remaining matches to be played in London, the Hammers will have little in the way of travel to contend with, giving them an advantage over their rivals at the bottom.
If West Ham are able to secure survival, they’ll need to strengthen their squad significantly to make progress in 2026/27 and avoid being in the same situation next season. Ahead of the summer transfer window opening, we loaded up the latest edition of Football Manager, and had it predict every player the Hammers will sign if they avoid the drop this season.
West Ham summer transfer window predicted: transfers in
Cameron Pring - £12m from Bristol City: A tidy bit of business from the Hammers to kick things off. He was brought in to provide some competition for El Hadji Malick Diouf. At 28, he’s too good a player to have spent his whole career to date in the EFL, and will be hungry to finally put his skills to the test in the Premier League.
Ellyes Skhiri - £20m from Eintracht Frankfurt: The 81-cap Tunisia international was next through the door, adding some real experience to the heart of West Ham’s midfield. He’s famed for his dogged approach to winning the ball back, and is the kind of tough-tackling, gritty operator who has all the tools to thrive in the English top tier.
Troy Parrott - £25m from AZ Alkmaar: The ex-Tottenham prospect has been tearing it up in the Netherlands this season, scoring 29 goals in all competitions, drawing interest from a number of Premier League clubs. He had plenty of loan spells in the past with the likes of Preston, MK Dons and Millwall, but failed to impress. West Ham took a gamble here, hoping the Republic of Ireland international has finally blossomed into a reliable striker.
Mamadou Diakhon - £13m from Club Brugge: He’s a newly capped Senegal international who will have great hopes of making his nation’s World Cup squad this summer. The 20-year-old is a left winger brimming with confidence and attacking flair. He would be an ideal backup option for main main Crysencio Summerville on the left.
Chris Fuhrich - £5m from VfB Stuttgart: A serious bargain, but also a baffling deal, given that he’s another left winger. That said, the 28-year-old is also capable of playing in a more central role. A part of Germany’s Euro 2024 squad, Fuhrich is a highly-rated Bundesliga player renowned for his high energy and speed.
Odysseas Vlachodimos - £5.5m from Newcastle United: Lumped over to St. James’ Park as part of the deal to see Elliot Anderson move to Nottingham Forest, the Greek goalkeeper didn’t make a single appearance last season, before being loaned out to Sevilla. He’s not had the best of seasons, but at less than £6m, he was probably worth the punt as a backup option.
West Ham summer transfer window predicted: transfers out
Aaron Wan-Bissaka - £22m to Newcastle United: With Kieran Trippier heading for the exit door, the Magpies wasted no time moving for ex-Manchester United full-back Wan-Bissaka. He’ll provide some stiff competition for Tino Livramento at right-back.
Mads Hermansen - £25m to Freiburg: West Ham boosted their transfer income to nearly £50m in the blink of an eye, as the Danish goalkeeper departed after just one season in east London. The Hammers ended up making a slight profit on the £20m they paid Leicester City to sign him last summer.
Max Kilman - £1.8m to AS Saint-Etienne: There’s not getting away from the fact that he’s been a real flop since joining from Wolves for £40m back in 2024, but less than £2m seems like a bit of a cheek! Having lost the support of a growing number of the Irons faithful, a swift, albeit painful exit to Ligue 1 maybe isn’t the worst idea despite the brutal financial loss.
Tomas Soucek - £15m to FC Schalke: Ending a six year stint at the club, the Czech midfielder called time on his West Ham career in search of a new challenge in Germany. He racked up over 260 appearances for his side, playing a key role in the side’s famous Europa Conference League winning campaign back in 2022/23.
Josh Landers - £135k to Swansea City: West Ham’s last bit of summer business saw the teenage forward opt to leave the club on a permanent basis.
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