Why West Ham’s squad depth is better than you thought…

It’s obvious that the first few signings we made in the summer were with Europa League football in mind – you need a squad if you’re to have any chance of being successful in Europe and domestically.

But having failed to reach the group stages of the competition, Slaven Bilic now finds himself with something of a selection dilemma once everyone is fit.

The only position we were seriously lightwieght in was right-back, but Bilic rectified that with the free signing of Alvaro Arbeloa on deadline day, which means Sam Byram will have a very experienced tutor behind him to help with his development, as well as us having a very good back up should Byram fall out of favour.

So having made 13 new signings this summer, and with only two high profile departures, it means our strength depth this season has to be at it’s strongest for many years.

Now there isn’t a single position in which we’re really struggling in, which can only be a good thing when you consider we’re only competing across three domestic competitions this season.

It gives us a good chance of really trying out best to win either the League Cup or FA Cup, as well as having the personnel available to mount another serious challenge on the top six.

So here’s a look at our strength in depth throughout the squad; we look at each position available in Slaven Bilic’s most favoured formation – 4-2-3-1…

CLICK HERE TO REVEAL

Goalkeepers

Adrian

The Spaniard is our first choice stopper in the Premier League and has improved immensely since we signed him on a free in 2013. His contract expires at the end of the season, though, which means we should expect him to agree fresh terms pretty soon.

Darren Randolph

The Ireland international is our cup goalkeeper and is probably the best back up stopper we’ve had for a long time. He had an unsteady start to his Hammers career at the beginning of last season but eventually became a safe pair of hands when he was called upon in Adrian’s absence.

Right-Back

Sam Byram

Sam Byram had a slow start to life in East London last season, having had to deal with injury, suspension and being cup tied after signing from Leeds in January. But he looks to have forced his way in to Bilic’s plans this summer and has to be our first choice right-back now.

Alvaro Arbeloa

Arbeloa’s arrival on Deadline Day allowed us to all breathe a huge sigh of relief. If we had failed to bring in another right-back then we will have been forced in to occasionally seeing Michail Antonio at right-back until January at the very earliest. Now we’ve got someone who won’t just provide adequate cover for Byram, but someone so experienced he should help Byram and the rest of the squad develop. One World Cup, two European Championships and two Champions Leagues kind of gives a player that kind of authority.

Centre-Back

Winston Reid

Arguably our best centre-back, Reid will always be the first defender on the team sheet. He is another player who has come along way since he first signed for the club, and we always look better defensively with him on the pitch.

Angelo Ogbonna

Looks set to be rotated alongside James Collins this season, but most wouldn’t argue with the fact him and Reid form our strongest partnership at the centre of defence. Solid as they come.

James Collins

Will no doubt get more playing time as a substitute and in the cup competitions, but that isn’t a poor reflection of his ability. If he starts over Ogbonna then it doesn’t really matter, because we all know the Ginger Pele is just as good at the back.

Reece Oxford

It was either Oxford or Reece Burke who would be allowed to leave on loan in the summer, and it looks as if Bilic has plans for Oxford in the first team this season after Burke left for Wigan. If the 17-year-old can learn him team mates and continue to impress when called upon then it won’t be long before he is one of the first names on the team sheet.

Left-Back

Aaron Cresswell

Cresswell is one of the best and most reliable left-backs in the Premier League. Unfortunately the injury he picked up in pre-season has left him sidelined for up to four months, but there’s no doubting he’ll come back better and stronger.

Athur Masuaku

No one really knew what to expect from Masuaku when he arrived in the summer, but it didn’t take him long to impress in claret and blue. He looks comfortable on the ball and loves getting forward, much like Cresswell; definitely a solid addition to the team and a very good back up for Cresswell when he returns.

Central Midfield

Mark Noble

Mark Noble arguably had his best season in a West Ham shirt last term, and as captain he’s the first name on the team sheet each week. Bilic clearly gets the best out of him and you know we’re safe in the middle of the park with Nobes battling hard each game.

Cheikhou Kouyate

There’s no denying that whenever Kouyate doesn’t play, we struggle in midfield. He has to be one of the most underrated midfielders in the Premier League and rarely puts a foot wrong. Either defensively or going forward, Kouyate really is the full package.

Pedro Obiang

It really is a good thing that Obiang didn’t leave the club in the summer. There were rumours that he’d be returning to Italy, but instead he remains in claret and blue. The Spaniard rarely puts a foot wrong when called upon and a lot of fans want to see him on the pitch more this season.

Havard Nordtveit

He hasn’t had the strongest of starts in a West Ham shirt but he should eventually come good as the season progresses. The former Arsenal man arrived on a free in the summer and can play either as a defensive midfielder or in the centre of defence – the kind of utility manager’s love. His experience could be crucial and the different options he gives helps.

Right Attack

Michail Antonio

Our very own England international, Antonio has become one of the most important players at the club since arriving for just £7m a year ago. He had his struggles at right-back towards the end of last season and the beginning of this, but now he will have the chance to remind us all of what he can do in his most favoured attacking role – he has already scored two in that position this season. A joy to watch and a joy to have at the club – the lad never stops smiling and never gives up.

Sofiane Feghouli

Some say he is one of few summer signings who have truly impressed so far, which means it’s a shame he has had to spend the last three weeks out with injury. He should be back in time for the Watford game, but how will he dislodge Antonio? Either way, having someone as quick and explosive as Feghouli as back up to Antonio is no bad thing.

Attacking Midfield

Manuel Lanzini

Signing Lanzini on a permanent deal has to be our best bit of business over the summer, and it was a shame he missed the opening few games of the campaign through injury. He’s back and raring to go, though, and he’ll be one of the first names on the team sheet this term. Hopefully he can chip in with more goals this season, too.

Andre Ayew

We’ve stuck him in an attacking midfield role but the truth is he can play in any attacking role, even up front. Our record signing became an instant victim of the West Ham injury curse just minutes in to his debut against Chelsea, but there’s no doubting we’ve got a very good player on our hands this season – once he’s fit he’ll be an important player for us.

Edimilson Fernandes

No one knows much about him, but Slaven Bilic must’ve seen something in him to bring him in – especially given our attacking options are so strong already. It’s not yet clear what the plans are for the Swiss U21 star, but he could be a handy option to have should we suffer with more injuries to key men throughout the campaign.

Left Attack

Dimitri Payet

Payet isn’t restricted to a left attacking role, far from it. But with so many attacking options across the board, he’ll no doubt be lined up there but with a free role to run riot in midfield – that’s what normally happens. The best piece of business the club did this summer was keep hold of him, and he’ll be so crucial to any success we have this season.

Gokhan Tore

We waited so long to sign him and so far he hasn’t done a great deal to convince fans Bilic was right to wait a year to get his man. However, it’s still early days and I’m sure he’ll eventually come good. He may have to impress as a substitute on most occasions, but he could turn out to be an superb option from the bench this season.

Striker

Simone Zaza

So we got our man, but will he be any good? Given the contract and terms of the deal we’ve got him on, Zaza will undoubtedly be our first choice striker this season. There’s no doubting his goalscoring ability, it’s just whether he can do it in the Premier League that has got fans wondering whether we’ve made the right decision or not. However, the club posted a video on Twitter of him scoring some impressive goals in training yesterday. Encouraging.

Andy Carroll

Just when we thought we were about to see an extended period of Carroll in the team and he goes and gets himself injured again. He’s a brilliant striker on his day, it’s just his inability to stay fit for long periods of time that’s frustrating. After Zaza’s arrival, Carroll may be forced to deliver solely from the bench – which is arguably when he makes a bigger impact.

Ashley Fletcher

All signs point to an absolute bargain with Ashley Fletcher. The youngster arrived on a free from Manchester United in the summer and has impressed no end, earning a start against Manchester City last weekend. If he continues to improve then we may have to nabbed a future England goal machine for absolutely nothing. Watch. This. Space.

Jonathan Calleri

There was lots of initial hype surrounding his arrival but that’s soon died down following a few uninspiring performances, the arrival of Zaza and the emergence of Fletcher. It’s still early days for the striker, though, so it would be harsh to write him off as a flop. However, he’ll need to prove he’s worth the playing time when called upon with goals, and nothing else.

Diafra Sakho

It’s baffling how he’s still at the club. None of us really wanted him to leave in the summer, but if a player doesn’t want to play for a club then he should be moved on for the sake of squad harmony and moral. But now the window has closed we should start seeing Sakho back in training and, fingers crossed, in the squad scoring goals again. We all want him to succeed at the club and he was already a cult hero – hopefully he can repair that broken relationship this season.

Overview

So as squad depth goes, ours is pretty impressive.

Obviously there are a number of players listed above who could play in a number of different positions, which further strengthens that strength across the board.

Some would say the signings we’ve made this summer are just back ups and not necessarily going to improve the starting XI.

However, it’s far better to be in a position like this where a number of the back ups could potentially be in the first team than panicking when a first team player is forced to miss out through injury or suspension.

We should’ve have any of those worries this season, and have more than enough in the squad to challenge for domestic silverware and even a top eight finish at the very least.