What to make of Sebastien Haller’s debut season at West Ham

West Ham shelled out big for a marquee striker with the selling of Marko Arnautovic, but with his first season behind him, how did Sebastien Haller do in his Premier League debut?

If Manuel Pellegrini did anything in his time at West Ham, it was pulling some money out of the board’s stingy pockets. Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop, and Sebastien Haller all being added in his short tenure with all three taking the title of club-record signing at the time.

With Pellegrini now gone and David Moyes in to clean up the mess yet again, Sebastien Haller has seen a challenging season turn into a lost one. Moyes stuck with what worked to secure safety and Michail Antonio limited Haller to a bench spot from the restart to the end of the season.

The main reason why was situational; West Ham needed to pack their midfield and it came with the sacrifice of playing two forwards. Ideally, Antonio and Haller would play alongside each other, as they did when Moyes first arrived, but the situation dictated more midfield strength and Haller was cut due to Antonio’s ability to chase down long balls better.

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Haller’s stats this season aren’t terrible when you look past his prior season and transfer wage. The Frenchman netted seven goals in 24 Premier League starts, adding in two assists as well. This was largely without Antonio as a striker partner, which saw Haller look much more effective in build-up play.

Reports have emerged on both sides of a move away from West Ham after what has to be seen as a disappointing start to his Premier League career. David Moyes has come out and stated that he wants Haller to stay and has a gameplan in mind for getting the best out of him. While Niko Kovac has reportedly expressed a desire to nab him for his new gig as AS Monaco.

I don’t think we’ll see his sale this summer, but another poor season and he’s all but gone. The Hammers are in search of a viable depth option at striker due to Albian Ajeti not taking his limited chances and not earning any further under two managers. Could better depth help unlock Haller even further?

The key to getting Haller going, in a dual striker set up or not, will be an improved defence starting with the fullbacks. Ryan Fredericks has been fine, but Ben Johnson looks much better on the defensive side of the ball and should see starting minutes over Fredericks. This was a revelation made after Haller’s benching to end the season and liberated newly signed Bowen.

On the left, Cresswell’s form this season was so detrimental to his left-sided midfielder/wingers that it completely crumbled Anderson’s season and forced Fornals back in deep defensive coverage, limiting his offensive abilities. Speed and defensive responsibility is needed at left-back with both current club options not good enough.

If these two areas are invested in it is easy to see how Haller can thrive. Both left and right-sided attackers can stay committed forward more and can act as forward partners for Haller and work with his terrific hold-up and lay off skills. Mix in a threatening 10 or a striker partner and this offence will look daunting for the opposition.

Haller disappointed this season, but not all hope is lost. He’s young, he’s talented, and he should be motivated now more than ever to show up for his team and himself. 2019/20 was segmented and poor but 2020/21 provides new opportunities to thrive for West Ham’s marquee striker.