A rejuvenated Haller could be like a new signing for the Hammers

It has not been an easy debut season in east London for Sebastien Haller, but the club-record signing for West Ham could still yet prove his worth.

After signing from Eintracht Frankfurt for £45 million in the summer of 2019, Haller’s arrival was regarded as a coup for West Ham off the back of his impressive final campaign with the German club.

The Frenchman scored 20 goals in all competitions, whilst providing a further 12 as he telepathically combined with teammates Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic.

This form continued into the new season where he bagged three goals in his first three appearances for the Irons whilst linking up well with the likes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko.

As the season wore on, however, his goals started to dry up along with West Ham’s early-season form, as the club plummeted down the Premier League table. It wasn’t just his lack of contribution in front of goal that was the problem, but his all-round game had also deteriorated, as he often found himself isolated with no willing runners in support of him.

The odd game proved that he was still capable of impressive performances, such as the Hammers’ 1-0 win away at Southampton, so long as he had the support-cast that he craved.

This, more-or-less, continued for the remainder of the season, up until West Ham’s reverse fixture at home against the Saints. It was the first time that the trio of Haller, Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen had the chance to perform together, and they all scored in a resounding 3-1 victory.

The confidence oozed out of the team, with Haller, in particular, showing his class. His hold-up play was reminiscent of his former self, whilst he was clearly enjoying himself as he perfected a through-ball rabona to Antonio, who couldn’t finish his chance.

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Shortly after this match, however, COVID-19 paused the footballing season until June, halting any momentum that Haller may have gathered. When play did resume, he found himself injured, and due to the blistering form of Antonio in the striker’s role, couldn’t earn his place back in the side for the remainder of the season.

How can David Moyes get the best out of Haller next season?

Despite the form that Antonio showed to help keep the club in the top-flight, many Hammers fans would love to see a return to the Haller, Antonio and Bowen front three that was on display against Southampton.

It was certainly a small sample size, but from what was on show, the formation and personnel had extreme potential.

Both Antonio and Bowen are capable of supporting Haller in the attack, therefore not leaving him isolated and having nothing to work with. In addition to this, Bowen, in particular, has displayed superb crossing abilities which Haller is likely to thrive off.

A lack of confidence was almost certainly a factor in Haller’s lack of goal-scoring form, but with a thriving support-cast around him, the burden of goals won’t solely be his, which in turn will take that particular weight off his shoulders.

For the majority of the season, Haller knew, bar injury, that he was going to be in the team no matter what, due to the lack of competition waiting in the ranks. Now that Antonio has proved that he can effectively play the lone striker role, the 26-year-old will have to remain on his toes, as he could feasibly lose his place if he is not performing.

With all of these factors considered, West Ham’s record signing has every opportunity to highlight just why the club paid so much money for him.