Green Street Hammers
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Why THIS West Ham team can perform better next season

By Adam Smith

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 02: A general view of The London Stadium, home to West Ham United as it lights up to thanks the NHS on April 02, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. Members of the public are being encouraged to applaud NHS staff and other key workers from their homes for a second week, after the success of last week's "Clap for Our Carers" campaign. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 40,000 lives and infecting hundreds of thousands more. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 02: A general view of The London Stadium, home to West Ham United as it lights up to thanks the NHS on April 02, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. Members of the public are being encouraged to applaud NHS staff and other key workers from their homes for a second week, after the success of last week's "Clap for Our Carers" campaign. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 40,000 lives and infecting hundreds of thousands more. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /
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Should West Ham and the rest of the Premier League stay reserved in the transfer market amidst the coronavirus shutdown, the current team could perform better than they have this season.

There is plenty of reason to believe that West Ham and the rest of the majority of Premier League teams will be strapped for cash when the 2020 summer transfer window opens. The main priority is to ink Tomas Soucek permanently, as confirmed by ExWHUemployee, and there appears to be no issue with these plans regardless of the shutdown.

Outside of that, there is no clear outline for player recruitment other than the missive that the Championship and Ligue 1 are being targetted as prospect pools for David Moyes. He wants to build a younger team, and through these leagues believes he can remake some of his Everton magic.

But, with players already agreeing to a wage cut and the potential loss of revenue mounting in the tens of millions of pounds, outside of Soucek there is realistically no players that are tipped to join the Hammers. Times are tough and the financial drop off in the market will affect this team.

The question needs to be asked now, can the current team succeed if no players are bought in the transfer market? To this, I give a loud and riotous “YES!” There are a few reasons why growth and progress could be expected with the current West Ham team entering next season unchanged.

Coaching

David Moyes had corrected the course of the Hammers ever-so-slightly when he returned to manage the team that cut him off a few years prior. He focused on team defending, used two strikers, and rewarded player performances with more match time. He flopped in the Cup (which is now on a hiatus) but brought in transparency and positivity with a very talented yet underperforming team.

With the addition of Kevin Nolan to his staff, Moyes upped the level of competition in the squad by incorporating a former West Ham captain and midfielder to bringing in someone who knows how to play the West Ham way and a character who will push the team.

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Likewise, Paul Nevin was brought in to help develop the younger players in the team in their efforts to stake a claim at the first team. Even players like Issa Diop and Pablo Fornals who had played at the highest levels in France and Spain have plenty to learn about top-tier sustainability that Nevin can bring out in them.

Free Reinforcements

On a much lesser extent then transfer-banned Chelsea a summer prior, West Ham can beef up their current roster with recalled loaned players from lower English divisions. There are a fair few players who can help with the midfield and attacking depth from abroad, while defensive reinforcements are in the academy still.

The biggest name that will be brought into the fold immediately is Grady Diangana. The Hammers winger thrived under Slaven Bilic at West Brom this season and is arguably an upgrade on a few floundering first-team players. Nathan Holland is also a player to be assessed after his injury-shortened loan at Oxford United. Both players should be looked at impact players able to step up next season.

In the midfield, both Josh Cullen and Conor Coventry can provide depth and cover for central and holding midfield. They should both be looked at as viable replacements for Carlos Sanchez, but with Coventry still just 20, a loan to the Championship could be best for him. This leaves Cullen (23) as a great option to fill out the team. He’s supporter, loyal servant, and deserves a chance here, but also needs a new contract.

Lastly, we come to the ambidextrous Ben Johnson who can help out squad depth at both right-back, his natural side, and left-back where Arthur Masuaku is seemingly on the outs. Aaron Cresswell is the starting left-back but his injury troubles could see Johnson forced to step up, which could be a needed baptism by fire.

Next. Restart the season? West Ham and league better to not. dark

There is reason to believe that this West Ham team, loanees and development squad players included, under this coaching regime, can grow and surge up the table. The elite talent is there, and when matched with good management and strong depth there is no reason to believe a better 2020/2021 is on its way.