The five signings West Ham fans want this summer
While we sit patiently waiting for this season to end, attention is being focused mostly on how we can improve the playing squad this summer.
With just one season left before the move to the Olympic Stadium, you’d argue next term has to be one of the most memorable at the Boleyn Ground ever. But that’s only possible if we have a squad capable of delivering success and consistency throughout the whole campaign, instead of just the first few months.
We’ve been linked with 23 players ahead of the summer and, while there are loads of names that wouldn’t be suitable additions to the side, there are more than enough there who’d go a long way in pushing us to the next level.
Earlier this week we asked you to vote thumbs up or thumbs down on each of those 23 players and, after 302 of you had your say with 3,800 different votes across the board, it’s fair to say we’ve got a conclusive decision on the top five players the fans want signed this summer.
So, without further a do, here’s the five players David Gold and David Sullivan might need to deliver this summer in order to keep the fans happy…
Click here to reveal the five players
5. Alex Song
Despite clearly being off the boil since the turn of the year, 178 fans voted thumbs up for Alex Song – while 51 voted down.
When he arrived at the club in August he made an immediate impact after we lost two of our first three games of the season. He played a major role in the form that had is sitting pretty in the top four over the festive period, and we were all eager for the club to sign him permanently.
But since retiring from international football in January and then suffering with illness, Song has been a shadow of the player who was so outstanding in the first half of the campaign.
He still has the odd flash of brilliance, though, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t look to sign him from Barcelona permanently if the transfer fee and his wage demands are acceptable.
4. Carlos Tevez
A bit of a long shot, but there has been talk of a possible return of Carlos Tevez for our final season at the Boleyn Ground.
173 fans voted for a Tevez return (44 voted down), and it’d certainly be a fairy tale return for the guy who all but single handedly saved us from relegation in the 2006/2007 season.
Despite being 31-years-old, Tevez is running riot for Juventus in Serie A this season, netting 17 goals in 27 league appearances. But his future at The Old Lady is in doubt and, if that really is the case, then perhaps we should give him a call and offer him a return to the club where it began for him in Europe.
He always said he had unfinished business at West Ham, so maybe this could be the time for him to come back finish it?
3. Fabian Schar
Reports a couple of weeks ago claimed we’d already come to an agreement with FC Basel to bring Schar to the Boleyn Ground this summer.
That’s all gone a bit quiet since, but if we can bring him to the club then we’d have one hell of a prospect on our hands – the Swiss international has been tracked by the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal in recent seasons.
The 23-year-old might be seen as a long term partner for Winston Reid in the centre of defence and has experience in both the Europa League and Champions League, which could prove vital if we are going to be competition in Europe over the next couple of years.
The fans also appear to be excited by the prospect of having Schar at the club, with 178 voting thumbs up and just 23 voting him down.
2. Jese
It’s no real surprise that Jese has been voted as the fans’ second most preferred player to be signed in the summer – 198 fans voted him up, with just 13 not too keen on him.
The youngster has been linked with a loan move to the club this summer, with Real Madrid clearly hoping to ship him out to give him some valuable first team experience in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
The highly-rated forward has attracted interest from a whole host of top clubs in the past, but reports suggest we could be in poll position for his signature.
If he does arrive then it’s hard not to be excited about a potential forward line of Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Jese leading the attack next term.
1. Carl Jenkinson
When we did our business last season, Carl Jenkinson was not really seen as one of the players to make the biggest impact for us.
But after an impressive season at right back for us this term, he’s now the one player West Ham fans are desperate for the club to sign permanently this summer. A huge 249 fans voted thumbs for Jenko, while just seven fans remain unsure on him.
With the emergence of Hector Bellerin at Arsenal, it’s looking increasingly likely that Jenkisnon will be up for grabs this summer, and you’d have to think we’ll have first dibs on him if that’s the case.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a right-back as solid and promising as Jenkinson, and the club really should dig deep to make sure he’s a West Ham player for next season.