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West Ham Transfer News 2024 Analysis and Overview

West Ham United FC or West Ham is one of the most prominent clubs in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Owing to a longstanding history, the club is perceived as one of the founding members of the English top flight and across their 129-year existence have fielded some of the top footballing talents from England and around the world. 

Despite their history and participation in the top flight, the club has seen minimal success, by their own standards. Whilst the club has not won a League title since the establishment of the Premier League in 1992, their recent success in Europe has reinvigorated the side previously stuck to mid-table mediocrity. As of today, the club has a valuation of $1.1 billion and is home to nearly 4.5 million fans domestically, and abroad. 

According to Forbes, West Ham comes in at a respectable 16th position among the world’s best football teams. Additionally, the club is said to have recorded a gross revenue of $340 million in 2023, a record high in the club’s history. Despite the dominance of the traditional ‘big six’ in the Premier League, West Ham has managed to attract some top talent to the club, although sometimes it has resulted in controversy, most notably with the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano deals in 2007. 

As for their major honors, West Ham has won the Second Division/ Championship on 2 occasions, finishing runners-up on three separate occasions. Additionally, they have also won the playoffs to make it into the Premier League twice. Similarly, the club has 3 FA Cups to its name and 1 FA Charity Shield. In Europe, the club has recently made waves after securing the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League, adding to their European Cup Winners’ Cup from 1964-65. All things considered, the club has seen some success but has the potential to be much better and seems to be working actively to break free from the mold and aim for greater triumphs. 

West Ham Transfers Club Performance History

During their initial years, West Ham found relative success playing in the London League and the Southern League in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Similar success followed in the Western League Division as West Ham continued to stack up the minor regional titles. By the 1960s, West Ham had some of the most renowned English players like Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, and Geoff Hurst, among their ranks, all of whom played a vital role during the 1966 World Cup. 

Despite some glorious years between 1960 and 1986, the club saw massive turmoil and ups and downs as they tussled with relegation, before eventually making their way back to the top flight. That said, the early 2000s were troublesome, with some of the club’s top players leaving due to relegation. After much struggle, ‘The Irons’ made their way back to the Premier League in 2005, beating  Preston North End in the Championship playoff finals. This was followed by new Icelandic ownership coming in to take over the reins of the club, led by Eggert Magnússon, in November 2006. 

Although the aforementioned controversy regarding the transfers of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano left the club on the brink of relegation in 2007, they managed to survive until 2011 when they once again plummeted to the Championship. However, following their promotion in the following season, the club has managed to find its feet in the Premier League, establishing itself as a mid-table outfit, with a penchant for occasionally eking out results against the top dogs of the league. A move to the London Stadium in 2016-17 saw the club’s stature rise even further. 

Whilst recent seasons have not been especially spectacular, the Hammers managed to win the Europa Conference League in 2022-2023. However, the following season which saw the arrival of highly reputed Spanish manager Julen Lopetegui, as the club finished 9th was less than ideal as there were expectations for the club to go on and earn a place in the European competitions. As for the 2024-25 season, things have started shakily, with questions regarding the manager rising after a poor run of form despite significant investment into the squad. 

West Ham Transfer 2024 Challenges & criticisms

For the most part, West Ham United has been known for bringing in some good talents into the club over the years, both domestically and from around the world. This includes a long list of talented players such as Trevor Sinclair, Paolo Di Canio, Davor Šuker, Ian Wright, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Bobby Zamora, Teddy Sheringham, Freddie Ljungberg, Paulo Futre, Manuel Lanzini, Dmitri Payet, Saïd Benrahma and many more. 

Whilst their recruitment in recent years has been a mix of relatively unknown quantities coupled with some top talents from the lower parts of the league, it has been a little hot or miss. Whilst the club has regularly recruited good players, many have struggled to make a real impact for the club, as seen in the 2023-2024 season. Whilst the club did well to secure Ajax duo Mohammed Kudus and Edson Álvarez, along with Konstantinos Mavropanos, James Ward-Prowse along with Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips on loan, the season did not deliver as many fans hoped it would. 

In addition to that, only Mohammed Kudus and Edson Álvarez have managed to find their place in the squad, while newer signings Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have become vital parts of the backline, the team itself is massively underperforming, considering their quality and the expectations. Despite the new season starting rather poorly for West Ham, wins against Manchester United and Newcastle will help float the ship for a while. 

All things considered, the signings while decent do not seem to be big difference-makers or provide the club with an additional boost to go on and challenge for the European spots once again. Thus, the signings have received criticism from the fans and the media online for a lack of ambition, especially for a club with West Ham’s ambitions. 

West Ham Transfer Strategy and Philosophy 

For the most part, West Ham has been known for their talent identification and promotion of homegrown talent, which has yielded them players like Frank Lampard, club legend Mark Noble, and Declan Rice, who departed in 2023 to Arsenal for an English record fee of €116.60 million. Along with these names, the arrival of foreign talent over the years has seen the club make ambitious strides in the transfer market. This has seen the arrival of emerging European talents and lesser-known quantities from around the continent as well. 

Whilst some of their signings have managed to make a significant impact, most have failed to live up to expectations at the London Stadium, often departing in the following seasons or being sent out on loan. Names like Sebastien Haller, Pablo Fornals, Felipe Anderson, Gianluca Scamacca,  Saïd Benrahma, and Maxwel Cornet, among others come to mind. That said, the club has at least mended its ways of the past, wherein they would willingly take away declining players from top clubs, hoping to get one last hurrah out of them. 

More recently, the club has looked to invest heavily into the squad, putting up significant amounts in terms of transfer fees, helped by their Conference League triumph and the aforementioned sale of Declan Rice in 2023. As a result, owing to the current state of the market, 5 of their arrivals in the past three years make for the club’s six most expensive players. 

Most Expensive West Ham Transfers

Naturally, owing to their stature and massive revenue generated, the club has been able to shell out a fortune to acquire new signings to take them to new heights. In 2024, the club spent €144.40m, €144.56m in 2023, and €196.60m in 2022. For all their transfer expenditure, the club has also managed to shift players on for significant money, recouping some of their past expenses. That said, let’s take a look at some of the club’s most expensive signings so far. 

The 2019-20 window was a big one for West Ham as they looked to reinforce their attack with an attacking midfielder in Pablo Fornals, right winger Jarrod Bowen along with their marquee and €50.00m club record signing Sebastien Haller, who was coming off the back of a very prolific season with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. That said, the Ivory Coast national could only manage 7 goals in 32 games in 2019-20, followed by 3 goals in 16 appearances the next season. As a result, he was promptly sold to Ajax for less than half the price in the January window of 2020-2021. 

The next name on the list is Maximilian Kilman who was acquired from Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer for €47.50m. Whilst Kilman had supposedly been on the list for many top clubs in England, some suggested that his valuation was a steep price to pay. That said, West Ham was more than happy to stump up the cash for the 27-year-old. In his short time at the London Stadium, Kilman has been consistently putting up good performances, and despite the team’s unpredictable form, has been rock solid in defense.

Up next is arguably the best player in the current West Ham squad, Mohammad Kudus who was acquired from Ajax in 2023 for €43.00m, alongside Edson Alvarez. Since his arrival, Kudus has been instrumental in attack, playing numerous positions across the frontline and excelling in all of them. Till date one of the club’s best investments, there is talk of the player potentially being poached by the likes of Arsenal. If Kudus were to depart for another club in England or elsewhere, West Ham would comfortably be able to command a sizeable fee for the Ghanian. 

The next two names on the list are Lucas Paqueta and Gianluca Scamacca, both of whom were brought in during the 2022 summer window. Whilst Paqueta set the club back €42.95m but is a consistent starter, Scamacca cost €38.60m and after a torrid season in London, was sent back to Italy’s Atalanta for €25.60m. This then brings us to Edson Alvarez and Felipe Anderson both of whom cost €38.00m. Whilst Alvarez is considered a key member of the current squad, Anderson was yet another one of those promising players who failed to live up to expectations.

West Ham Transfer New Signings 2024/25

By all means, the 2024 summer transfer window was a busy one for West Ham as they looked to build on all their good work last year. Providing Julen Lopetegui with the recruitments he needed to replace and improve the outgoing players, the Hammers made a significant investment for the Spanish manager. This led to a busy summer of recruitment that saw the club mainly focus on solidifying certain spots around the squad. 

As such the aforementioned Maximilian Kilman was acquired from Wolverhampton Wanderers for €47.50 million. This was supported by the addition of more firepower in the form of Crysencio Summerville for €29.30 million from Leeds United, Niclas Füllkrug from Borussia Dortmund for €27.00 million, and Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras for €23.00 million. Perhaps the most impressive coup of the summer was the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United for a very nominal, €17.60 million.

These moves were followed by a whole host of other signings such as Guido Rodriguez from Real Betis and Wes Foderingham from Sheffield United on free transfers along with Jean-Clair Todibo and Carlos Soler on loan from OGC Nice and Paris Saint Germain respectively. 

West Ham Transfers All Outgoing 2024/25

Just like their incomings, there were a lot of outgoings from West Ham in 2024. In order to make room for their new recruits, a number of players were written off the books, helping fund some of the incoming moves. This included the likes of Flynn Downes snapped up by Southampton, whilst Saïd Benrahma and Thilo Kehrer have been shipped off to Olympique Lyon and Monaco respectively. Reserve keeper Nathan Trott was picked up by FC Copenhagen whilst Ben Johnson and Angelo Ogbonna departed on free transfers. 

Similarly, Nayef Aguerd, James Ward-Prowse, Kurt Zouma, and Maxwel Cornet all depart on loans whilst Kalvin Phillips sees his loan spell end at the club and has since gone out on loan again, this time to Ipswich Town.

Top Signings for West Ham in 2024/25

For the most part, it has only been a few months since the 2024/25 season kicked off, and some of the new signings have had the opportunity to show their skills and reliability. Among all the incomings, English defender Maximilian Kilman has impressed the most, forming a solid partnership with the equally impressive Jean-Claire Todibo. 

Similarly, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been a revelation at right-back, showcasing the same defensive prowess that he did at Manchester United, And playing with a lot more confidence. Whilst there are still a lot of games to be played, these are the few names that have hit the ground running already. 

Worst Signings for West Ham in 2024/25

While it is too early to judge, there have been a few players that have struggled to get going. Crysencio Summerville has only managed to find the back of the net on one occasion in 12 appearances in Cup and League games. On the other hand, Niclas Füllkrug has seen limited minutes owing to injury woes, managing only 4 appearances so far. 

Similarly, Luis Guillerme is looking increasingly likely to go out on loan in January, seeing that the player has yet to see any significant minutes, making only 2 substitute appearances in the Premier League so far. Alarmingly, he has also been left off of the team entirely on numerous games, which suggests that the manager does not truly trust him or found a place for him yet. 

All things considered, it is yet to be seen how these players fare for the rest of the season and a better judgment regarding their place on the team can be made afterwards.

West Ham transfer Spend Till Now

All things considered, West Ham have had a difficult start to the season, currently sat in 14th place, close to seven points away from the European spots. However, their results have been incredibly inconsistent and there seem to be growing concerns regarding Lopetegui as the right man for the job. That said, all eyes will be on the winter transfer window which is rapidly approaching in a few week’s time.  

As for the summer, West Ham has shelled out a total of €144.40 million in transfers whilst managing to recoup €44.75 million from sales. That said, these could increase with rumors of potential incomings and outgoings already beginning to circulate. Thus, as and when any such transfers occur, they will be covered and updated by us. 

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