David Moyes’ side are looking to be in the top eight of the Premier League for a third consecutive season for the first time since the rebranding of Division 1 in 1992/93.
What happened last season?
A strong first half to the 2021/22 campaign saw Moyes’ side in the battle for the Champions League spots come Christmas. A memorable 3-2 victory over Liverpool in November got Hammers fans believing they could challenge for the top four. However, post-Christmas West Ham’s league form started to take a hit as the East London club turned their attention to a Europa League run.
Knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual champions Eintracht Frankfurt, their European exploits will mean the 21/22 campaign is a memorable one for Irons fans. A very respectable 7th placed finish will mean West Ham enter the Europa Conference League at the play-off stage.
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Key Signings
Nayef Aguerd
Moroccan defender Aguerd joins for £28million from Rennes, who he made 40 appearances for last season, helping his side to a 4th place finish in Ligue 1 and the last 16 of the Europa Conference League.
Unfortunately for Hammers fans, the 26-year-old suffered an ankle injury in a friendly against Rangers and following successful surgery looks to miss the start of the Premier League campaign.
Josh Wright from WhoScored.com had this to say on the new signing: “Nayef Aguerd only committed two errors leading to an opposition shot on goal in his 90 Ligue 1 appearances for Dijon and Rennes.”
If he can translate this defensive solidity and consistency to the Premier League, he will be a shrewd signing for Moyes’ team.
Gianluca Scamacca
West Ham were odds-on for a large part of this summer window to sign promising Chelsea striker Armando Broja (now 16/1), but it seems the Irons have found the striker they were looking for.
Scamacca joins from Italian side Sassuolo in a deal worth roughly £35 million. The 23-year-old scored 16 goals in Serie A last season and will be hoping to bring his goalscoring form to East London.
Wright said this about the Italian striker: “Gianluca Scamacca averaged a league goal every 146 minutes over the last two seasons. Compared to players in the Premier League in that time, only Mo Salah (every 130 mins) and Diogo Jota (every 145 mins) scored more frequently.”
Who’s headed out?
Mark Noble
The club-captain and legend at West Ham, Mark Noble announced he would be retiring at the end of the 2021/22 season, ending his 22-year affiliation with the Hammers. Noble leaves West Ham as their leading appearance maker in the Premier League (414). All-in-all, he made 550 appearances for the club, scoring 62 goals.
As well as this, in 2020, Noble was rated as the player with the second-highest penalty conversion rate (90.5%) in the last 20 years, only beaten by Robert Lewandowski (91.1%). A Europa League trophy would have been the cherry on top of a wonderful career for Noble at West Ham, nonetheless, he leaves with a place on the club’s Mount Rushmore.
Who is their star man?
Jarrod Bowen
West Ham’s Players’ Player of the Season in 2021/22 was 25-year-old Jarrod Bowen, who took his game to a new level last campaign, scoring 18 goals and providing 13 assists across all competitions as the Hammers reached the Europa League semi-finals and finished 7th in the Premier League.
Bowen’s 12 goals and 12 assists in the Premier League made him the first Irons player to record double figures for both goals and assists in a league campaign since Paolo Di Canio in 1999/2000.
Electric performances off the right-wing saw him earn his first call-up to the England squad and he has made four appearances since making his debut in a 1-0 defeat to Hungary.
The forward has shortened from 8/1 in late November 2021 to 4/7 to make the 2022 England World Cup squad. Hammers fans will be hoping Bowen can build a connection on the pitch with new signing Scamacca and propel the East London club to another successful campaign.
What can we expect from them in 2022/23?
Moyes has turned West Ham a side teams fear across the league since rejoining the club in 2019. The Scotsman has guided the Irons to consecutive top eight finishes in his two full seasons in charge and we should expect another strong campaign ahead.
Experiencing a Europa League run will bode well for the players at the club and should be well-equipped to manage both the Premier League and Europa Conference League.
As much as Aguerd and Scamacca will add strength to the Irons roster, two key transfer plays for them were keeping hold of talented English duo Declan Rice and Bowen.
Rice has been continuously linked to a transfer away from the club since breaking into the first team, rumours which persisted this summer with talk of a move to either Chelsea or Manchester United.
Proving that they can keep a hold of talent is crucial for West Ham going forward as they look to become a staple in the top eight of the Premier League for seasons to come. I think we can expect another top-half finish (best price 4/6), alongside a cup run in either of the domestic tournaments, and a run late into the Europa Conference League.
Where do the odds project them to finish?
The Premier League winner market projects West Ham to finish 9th this season, below both Newcastle and Leicester, who both placed lower than the Hammers last season.
Any recommended bets?
Bowen finished joint-third for assists last season, and he is 33/1 to be the league’s top assister this season. Betway are paying out up to four places on this market, meaning if he finished in the top four in the leaderboard again you will be looking at around an 8/1 winner.
In terms of team achievements, 4/6 best price for a top-half finish seems a good bet and 2/1 for Bowen to be the team’s top scorer in the league also seems a shout.
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