Would this be West Ham’s ‘Dream XI’ next season?

It’s not that much of a surprise that the transfer rumours have increased a fair bit since Slaven Bilic was appointed earlier this week.

The Croat has admitted that he wants to improve the squad left to him by Sam Allardyce, and he’ll already have his sights set on a number of players he’s previously worked with in the past.

He’s already brought in Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria and is linked with some ‘top’ players all over Europe.

Our season starts in about three weeks, so it’s unrealistic to expect us to have a full strength starting XI for our first few Europa League games.

But by the time the Premier League kicks off you’ll hope Bilic has successfully assembled a very good starting XI that has the ability to challenge in the top half of the table at the very least.

So would this be our ‘Dream XI’ come the opening game of the Premier League season?

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Adrian

Obviously Adrian will be our number one next season, and hopefully for many years to come.

The Spaniard had a brilliant season between the sticks last term and will be eager to build on that this term, particularly under a new manager and with many more games to play.
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Carl Jenkinson

Reports claim we’re hoping to secure another season-long loan deal or Jenko, who had a superb season at right-back last term.

It’s difficult to see where he fits in at Arsenal now, and you’d imagine he’d be keen to spend another year with us for regular game time, as well some more experience playing in Europe.

The club want him, and Bilic admits he’d be happy to have him, so it’s a no brainer the club should hopefully complete another deal for him.
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Winston Reid

Reid has only recently signed a new five-year deal at the club and may even be a contender for the armband next season.

The Kiwi has been our best centre-half over the last few seasons, but injuries last season meant he struggled to hold down a first team role.

If he can avoid injury then you’d expect him to play almost every game for us next season. Many would say he’s the most improved player at the club over the last five years, and he’ll undoubtedly improve further if he can get a solidly consistent season under his belt.
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Dejan Lovren

The Croat was rumoured to be Bilic’s number one target even before we’d announced him as our new boss.

He had an indifferent debut season at Liverpool last term and reports suggest Brendan Rodgers may look to offload him for a cut-price deal in the summer.

We’ve still got James Tomkins and James Collins at the club, both of whom are capable of playing regularly, but there’s no doubt Lovren would be an upgrade.

And having four centre-halves at the club, five if you include Reece Burke, will be crucial during a long season and a Europa League campaign.
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Aaron Cresswell

Last season’s surprise package and Hammer of the Year, Aaron Cresswell has proven himself to be Premier League quality after solid debut season at this level.

He arrived from Ipswich as unknown quantity, but 12 months later he’s probably one of our most valuable assets.

He’s consistent and reliable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes another season of playing every second in the Premier League.
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Pedro Obiang

Pedro Obiang is our newest recruit, and it’s obvious he’s been brought in to occupy one of the two defensive midfield roles Bilic likes to deploy in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.

People who have seen him play reckon he’ll prove to be an impressive addition to the squad, and he’ll no doubt make that position his own.
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Cheikhou Kouyate

It didn’t take long Kouyate to become a fans’ favourite last season after a number of monstrous performances in midfield and at the heart of the defence.

The prospect of having him playing alongside Obiang, protecting the back four and giving the players in front them licence to go forward is an exciting one.
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Gokhan Tore

It’s no surprise we’ve been linked with Tore after he impressed under Bilic at Besiktas last season.

The attacking midfielder, who can also play on the right, is reportedly one of Bilic’s top targets this summer, and he’d fit nicely in to the three attacking midfielders Bilic likes to have in front of the lead striker.

The 23-year-old would no doubt prove to be a clever addition to the side. Here are his stats and strengths from last season…

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Yohan Cabaye

If you’re offered the chance to sign a player like Yohan Cabaye, you grab it.

That appears to be the case this summer, with reports claiming the France international wants to leave PSG and has been offered to us and Crystal Palace.

Cabaye admits he’d like to play under Alan Pardew again, but we’ll be in Europe next season. If we can tempt him to east London then we’d have nabbed ourself a gem.
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Enner Valencia

Enner didn’t enjoy the best of debut seasons last term, but some players take longer to adapt to English football than others.

If he can bulk up this summer and Bilic utilises correctly then we may just see why the club forked out over £12million for him last summer.
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Loic Remy

Apparently in we’re in advanced talks over an £8million deal to bring Remy to Upton Park. Third time lucky, eh?

It feels as if we’re always being linked with Remy, but this time it looks like it could be the real deal.

Yes, we’ve got Diafra Sakho up front who’ll no doubt do damage again when he’s fit, but we’re going to need one or two good goal scorers in the squad in order to rotate when needed.

Remy would be an ideal signing given his Premier League and european experience.
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