What is a ‘Successful’ Transfer Window for West Ham?

Alex Kral – Projected £14million

The most talked-about West Ham transfer deal of the current window is centered around 23-year-old defensive-midfielder Alex Kral. Friend and teammate of West Ham duo Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, Kral is an exhilarating young prospect. Currently playing for Russian team Spartak Moscow, Kral’s impressive recent campaign has put him at the top of David Moyes’ transfer list.

In the 2020/21 season, Kral made 28 appearances, producing 5 assists, with a pass success rate of 81%. This only improves when playing for his native Czech Republic, with a pass completion rate of 86.1% during the UEFA Nations League.

Comfortable with the ball at his feet, Kral follows the passion of his West Ham Czech teammates when it comes to football, ensuring he covers every blade of grass during a game. His work rate is applaudable and would fit perfectly within the current Hammers team. Furthermore, Kral’s experience with both Champions League and Europa League competitions only further highlights his suitability.

In May 2021, Sky Sports reported that West Ham had contacted the representatives of Alex Kral, who appears ‘relaxed’ about the situation. A few weeks later, David Moyes wrote an article for The Times, entitled ‘The magnificent seven players you should keep an eye on this summer.’ Within that article, Moyes highlighted Kral as “good on the ball, looks to protect his defense and appears, like Tomas and Vladimir, to have great mentality and bags of energy.” Perhaps, this could be one of the first deals to be sealed for West Ham (and a golden one too!).

Jesse Lingard – Projected £20million

Jesse Lingard had a particularly memorable season. After spending the last few years out of favour at his boyhood club Manchester United, an opportunity came for Lingard in the form of West Ham United. Since his January signing, the midfielder has won April’s Premier League Goal of the Month and April’s Premier League Player of the Month.

In 16 West Ham appearances, Lingard scored 9 times, racking up 4 assists. He completed 633 passes across the short-loan period, with a pass completion rate of an impressive 83.6%. Naturally, with statistics like these, Lingard was called up to the England squad for the first time in almost 2 years. On his first game back with the Three Lions, the Warrington-born attacker’s outstanding performance against San Marino earned him the Player of the Match award.

After narrowly missing out on the Euro 2020 selection, multiple reports have suggested that David Moyes will aim to secure a permanent transfer for Lingard to keep him in East London. Though still contracted with Manchester United until June 2022, it’s hopeful that Lingard will try to push a deal through to West Ham – after an impressive resurgence in form and confidence.