Possibly the biggest disappointment of the West Ham season, despite the underwhelming record in the Premier League is the development and the shortened spell of Gianluca Scamacca.
The Italian striker came in with tons of potential and a hefty transfer tag. There’s a certain expectation when you pay £33m for a player. According to sources, there may have been a little too much expectation on his end.
“Gianluca is a great kid for all intents and purposes,” a team source said.
“He’s level-headed, humble, and works hard, but I think coming here he thought the job was his.” Unfortunately, that’s just not how David Moyes incorporates players into his starting 11 and his system.
Looking back now last year’s transfer season was a success. The crown jewel of all acquisitions was Lucas Paqueta and there he was assisting Jarrod Bowen on the biggest goal of his career and one of the biggest moments in West Ham history as the Hammers went up 2-1 on Fiorentina and would go on to win the in the Europa Conference League final.
The campaign started slow for a lot of the new acquisitions, but eventually, they caught on. Paqueta emerged as one of the most essential players on the pitch. Whether he’s West Ham’s number 10 or 8 will depend on what the team needs and who the team brings to replace the eventual departure of Declan Rice. What is certain is that Paqueta will be a fixture in the midfield for as long as he fits in.
Possibly the second biggest acquisition of last summer was Nayef Aguerd. After recovering from a pre-season injury, Aguerd became a stalwart at centre-back along with partner Kurt Zouma. If the pair stay healthy and continue to grow together they will become one of the most dependable defensive pairings in the Premier League.
West Ham’s additions Thilo Kehrer and Emerson were as advertised. They provided the depth at full-back and defence that was so desperately needed. As the season went on and Aaron Cresswell began to tire, Emerson picked up the pace and started most games down the stretch. Kehrer filled in where needed. He played better when he was in his natural centre-back position but he stepped up and filled in for Vladimir Coufal when needed.