Where do West Ham’s new faces fit in?
The transfer window is over and the season is now fully underway with teams beginning to discover their best XIs.
Our transfer business this summer has shown plenty of promise on paper but whether or not that can be reciprocated on the pitch remains to be seen.
With the new signings taken into account, this is how I would line up for the season…
Click on Allardyce to reveal
Goalkeeper
Unless his form dips histrionically, Adrian should continue to be our number one this season. Jussi Jaaskelainen provides experienced back-up for the Spaniard.
Full backs
Rat, McCartney, Armero, O’Brien and Taylor all failed to nail down a place at left back for an extended period of time last year. One of our primary aims for the transfer window was to find a player to overcome this problem position.
23-year old Aaron Cresswell should start at left back when fit and has already started demonstrating that he is ready to make the leap from Championship Ipswich to the Premiership.
On the right flank, we should see Carl Jenkinson who joined on loan from Arsenal for the season with a view to a permanent move. If he maintains his full fitness then he could potentially be a success at Upton Park and we may have two very promising long-term full backs on our books.
Centre backs
Keeping Winston Reid at the club was a huge boost for West Ham this summer.
The commanding New Zealand captain is the pivotal piece in our defensive jigsaw and we look significantly weaker when he is not in the side. Tying him down to a new contract should now be prioritised by the board as he is well-respected by players and fans alike. Reid should line up alongside academy graduate James Tomkins.
Tomkins has performed well in the last couple of years as he has started to realise some of the promise he showed in his early West Ham career. This pair now has plenty of experience playing together and should only get better as they both enter their prime.
Central midfielders
Our central midfield now finally has fans on the edge of their seats brimming with excitement.
The arrivals of powerhouses Alex Song and Cheikhou Kouyate have more than compensated for the deadline day departure of Mo Diame. In a central midfield trio, I would play Mark Noble sitting just behind the two new signings, mopping up the loose ball and patrolling in front of the back four as he so tirelessly does on a consistent basis for us.
Kouyate would play just ahead of Noble and the Senegal international has already looked a phenomenal signing. His energetic midfield displays have already captured the hearts of West Ham fans who have voted him August’s player of the month.
His pace and strength is matched by loanee Alex Song, who joins from Barcelona for the year. His Premiership and Champions League experience makes him a valuable asset to add to this team and completes a tremendously exciting midfield three.
Wingers
Stewart Downing has begun the season in impressive fashion and we’re all hoping that he can keep up his good form now that he is our leading wide-man.
The craft left-footer cuts in off the right flank and can deliver a killer cross on his day. On the opposite flank, we should probably look to new signing Morgan Amalfitano. The Frenchman joined on deadline day for a bargain fee of less than £1m after turning in plenty of impressive performances for West Brom last season.
Admittedly he does have a tendency to go missing in some games but he creates chances and knows where the net is too.
Striker
All that remains now is the lone striker role. With Andy Carroll constantly struggling for fitness, new boy Enner Valencia should be given priority.
The Ecuadorian international joined us on the back of scoring all of his country’s World Cup goals. Strength and speed are his two main attributes; these will prepare him well for life in the Premier League.
Hopefully he can be the answer to the striker crisis which cursed us for much of last season.
Replacements
We also have strength in depth for the first time in recent memory as we have viable replacements to explore for different circumstances.
Diafra Sakho and Mauro Zarate have both already opened their accounts with an impressive header and volley respectively. They provide an alternative attacking option if we are chasing the game. We also have the midfield flair of troubled Ravel Morrison.
He could be an uncontainable impact substitute or even starter if he can keep his head in the right place. Then we also have 19-year-old Diego Poyet to shore up the midfield off the bench. The no-nonsense midfielder joined from Charlton in the summer and has stepped up competently so far when he has been called upon.
We must also not forget the likes of Matt Jarvis, Ricardo Vaz Te, Carlton Cole and Kevin Nolan who may all have important roles to play for the Hammers this year.
