West Ham were one of the busiest teams in the Premier League during the summer 2024 transfer window, but they wasted a lot of time and money signing players below the standard necessary to reach the top seven in an increasingly competitive English top flight.
Therefore, when West Ham head back to the inevitable drawing board in the summer 2025 transfer window, they need to be focused on pursuing premium options while mixing it up with established European sides.
In that vein, here are three dream signings who are actually worth the Hammers' time this year.
Lille ST Jonathan David
Set to be a free agent after inexplicably going without a big-money transfer last summer - and the summer before that - Jonathan David has such a high profile in European football that he was once legitimately linked with a move to the mighty Real Madrid.
Despite now having three quality seasons at the top flight under his belt, David is still only 25 years old and has blossomed into a strong, well-rounded No. 9. With 13 goals in five different league seasons, David is already a considerably better option at striker than any of the, quite frankly, sub-standard candidates in the current West Ham squad.
Como AM Nico Paz
Speaking of Real Madrid, Nico Paz is the latest exciting talent produced by the elite Spanish side, and he has been an immediate success for Como, who look like good bets to stay in Serie A after a summer of heavy investment.
Paz has been the crown jewel of the incoming class and arguably the best playmaker in Italian football this season, usurping the experienced Paulo Dybala on the back of his play. He's even better than last year's breakout loan signing, Frosinone's Matias Soule.
West Ham could use a top playmaker. James Ward-Prowse is nothing more than an aging set-piece specialist, while Carlos Soler was a disaster of a signing. The Hammers need someone young and fresh who can score goals, create chances, and link all the talented pieces together. Paz is worth dreaming about.
Monaco CM Lamine Camara
West Ham's best midfielder is Tomas Soucek, who has found a shocking run of form in front of goal this season, tying Jarrod Bowen for the team lead with seven scores. Everyone else has been so poor that none of them should have a future in London after this season.
Edson Alvarez is clearly not built for the Premier League, while Guido Rodriguez has been just as anonymous of a summer signing as Soler, regardless of their LaLiga pedigrees. There's just nothing worthwhile behind those three at the base of the midfield either, and as much as West Ham need a striker, you could convincingly argue that midfield is their biggest need.
As with the playmaker spot, they need someone young and fresh who has the requisite technical quality to start for a top-seven side. So who better than a key player for a Champions League side in Lamine Camara of Monaco?
The 21-year-old Senegalese box-to-box midfielder will soon no longer be a well-kept secret. He has 6 assists, 1.6 key passes, 1.3 fouls drawn, 3.2 combined tackles and interceptions per game in Ligue 1 this season. He blows every single one of the current West Ham midfielders out of the water.