West Ham have been mucking about the transfer market, frivolously throwing their funds at aging or inadequate players who merely leave the team back at the same starting point a year later.
After another pretty poor summer transfer window last year, West Ham need to take a more targeted approach and start gunning for players who have the potential to be special.
Here are five possible future superstars West Ham should have on their radar in the summer 2025 transfer window.
Monaco ST Mika Biereth
In just 9 starts for Monaco since moving from Sturm Graz in the middle of the season, Mika Biereth has only enhanced his reputation and resume in a more competitive league with 11 goals and 2 assists already for the Monegasque side.
Biereth is a lethal finisher who knows how to use his body in the box to get open and create space for himself. He's a highly intelligent player and better than some of the more hyped striker options on the market. West Ham have to do everything in their power to try and nab him.
Lyon AM Rayan Cherki
Rayan Cherki is such a talent that Real Madrid had him near the top of their list of attackers to add to Kylian Mbappe in the future, but, as it turned out, Real didn't need the Lyon standout anyway.
The mercurial magician has gone on to become the centerpiece for Lyon and one of the best playmakers in European football, even if he doesn't get the credit he deserves. Cherki is a skillful dribbler, accurate crosser, and master of invention in the final third.
This season, he has a jaw-dropping 8 goals and 17 assists between Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and even though he's been getting meaningful minutes for years, he's still only 21. Lyon have played their cards right with Cherki's development, and West Ham could get a great deal here if the price is right; Cherki has that something special to win tight games.
Como AM Nico Paz
An even better playmaker because of his consistency and finishing prowess, Nico Paz has taken Serie A by storm as the clear star of the Como project, which has some pretty notable names attached to it like Raphael Varane.
But Paz's time is now. The Real Madrid product wouldn't look out of place back at the Santiago Bernabeu with 11 goal contributions and more than 3 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game.
Just 20 years old, Paz might be the best overall young player within the West Ham budget on the transfer market, and you can only imagine what Graham Potter could do with Paz pulling the strings at the heart of the attacking midfield.
Monaco CM Lamine Camara
Monaco box-to-box midfielder Lamine Camara has quietly been one of the best players in European football this season, and it's surprising that people are still only whispering about the breakout campaign he's been having in France.
Ligue 1 produces the best young talents in world football for a reason, and Monaco have been at the forefront of that over the last several years. Camara can follow in the footsteps of Aurelien Tchouameni with a big move in Europe soon, and West Ham would do well to snap him up this summer before clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid figure it out.
West Ham need center midfield help more than anything else this summer, and Camara already has the production to show that he's a superior player to Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez.
Nantes CB Nathan Zeze
Abdukodir Khusanov parlayed a sensational first half of the season in Ligue 1 into a winter transfer to Manchester City, and the 21-year-old Uzbekistan international already looks like a future fixture in the Premier League.
Funnily enough, there was an even younger center back alongside Khusanov who was one of the biggest breakout stars in Ligue 1 this season, and Nantes defender Nathan Zeze could make another Premier League club very happy if he moves this summer.
Just 19 years old, Zeze needs to be on the West Ham transfer radar as a potential replacement for Konstantinos Mavropanos, as he could form a spicy trio with 2024 signings Jean-Clair Todibo (should be signed permanently) and Max Kilman.
Zeze is averaging 7.2 clearances and 3.6 combined tackles and interceptions per game this season.