West Ham endured a turbulent season last term, struggling to compete under the guidance of both Slaven Bilic and David Moyes.
The Hammers ended the campaign with the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League and spent a number of months during the season flirting with relegation to the second-tier.
Manuel Pellegrini has arrived to steady the ship this summer and has invested heavily into his squad at the London Stadium, with signings that include Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere.
West Ham’s activity in the market has raised optimism ahead of the 2018-19 season and Hammers legend Sir Trevor Brooking has issued his target for the club, stating that a top-half finish needs to be secured.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:
“We’ve been looking over our shoulders in the wrong way the last couple of seasons and so we need to get into that top half.
“The top six are really tough to break down but I think this year with the money spent, you’re trying to give the manager the ability to be mid table, top half but then identify where he needs to strengthen the squad if they want to kick on.
“The challenge of the top six is a tough one – you’ve got clubs like Everton and Leicester and West Ham need to be around them this season.”
