West Ham start their new Premier League season with a home game against Aston Villa. Last season, while Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Champions League, West Ham finished ninth in the Premier League and couldn't qualify for European football.
In this transfer window, the two clubs have been involved in negotiations for 20-year-old Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran to join West Ham. However, Aston Villa remained firm on their £40 million demand and rejected the Hammers offer of £32 million plus sell on clause and academy talent Lewis Orford.
Can West Ham win their opening Premier League matchday against Aston Villa
After that, West Ham have signed star players like Cryscencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Jean-Clair Todibo, Guido Rodriguez and Aaron Wan-Bissaka and have made a total of eight signings in this transfer window. On the other hand, Aston Villa completed the signings of Ian Maatsen, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley alongside a lot of young talents.
In terms of outgoings, Villa have sold their star midfielder Douglas Luiz for £42 million to Juventus, while West Ham sold Said Benrahma to Lyon and Thilo Kehrer to Monaco. While Unai Emery's side have performed well in the recent seasons, West Ham have assembled a quality squad in this transfer window.
In the last season, West Ham drew 1-1 with Bournemouth in the opening Premier League match day. In the 2022/23 season, West Ham faced Premier League Champions Manchester City in the first game and faced a 2-0 defeat against Pep Guardiola's side.
Further, West Ham faced a huge 4-1 defeat against Aston Villa that included a Douglas Luiz brace. In the second game, West Ham drew 1-1 with Unai Emery's side. Hence, West Ham will need to put in a top performance to win against Villa in the first matchday.
Also, West Ham have to face Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea in their first five Premier League games. Thus, West Ham will need to start the season on a high note as taking more wins in the first few matchdays will help West Ham in their ambitions to achieve a top six finish in this upcoming Premier League season.