At the end of the 19/20 Premier League season West Ham found themselves 5 points from the relegation places, with a manager the fans seemed to have little faith in, how has David Moyes found himself battling it out for a European place with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham?
It is easy to forget that at the start of the season there were major doubts over West Ham and David Moyes, an incident involving captain Mark Noble in which he tweeted his frustration following the sale of Grady Diangana to West Brom highlights what fans and pundits saw as a look behind the curtain of Moyes’ team. Noble did not hold back saying he was “Gutted, angry and sad” to see the 22-year-old leave, but to put it lightly Diangana has not impressed in his 16 premier league appearances for the Baggies. With just the one goal so far this season it appears Moyes may have been onto something when he accepted the £18 million bid and this has been something we have seen repeatedly, the Scotsman is not afraid to let players leave the club if he does not view them as part of his ongoing project.
Two high profile departures came in the form of Felipe Anderson, sent on loan to Porto for the season, and Sebastian Haller, sold in January to Ajax for £20 million. The club took a £25 million loss on Ivory Coast international Haller despite him being on track for his best goal scoring season for the club. Felipe Anderson arrived for a club record fee of £36 million back in 2018 and has struggled to find form in London. During his time in Portugal, he has been unable to establish himself making just four league appearances. These big names leaving the club could be looked at as a step backwards, but it has all been part of what Moyes is building at the club. The process of moving away from large transfer fees and wages and instead using their transfer budget on players that he believes fits his team and looking at his recent moves in the transfer market.
A lot of credit must be given to West Ham’s recruitment, the signings of Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague in particular look like a stroke of genius. From midfield Soucek has provided eight goals in his first 27 Premier League games this season, besting the likes of Bruno Fernandes for goals scored in open play. Coufal has helped the team to 8 clean sheets in his 23 games as well as proving himself as an attacking outlet with three assists (matching the most in any of his seasons in the Czech Republic). This duo arrived for less than £25 million combined, making them arguably the best business of the summer transfer window. Then there is the arrival of Jesse Lingard in the new year, despite a good run of results through December and early January, Moyes looked to strengthen his squad. However, when they were linked to the Man United outcast it is fair to say many were skeptical of what impact he could have at the London stadium. Lingard wasted no time silencing these doubters scoring twice on his debut against Aston Villa, and since that flying start there has been no signs of his form slowing down. Lingard currently has six goal contributions in six games for the Hammers and has earned himself a February player of the month nomination off the back of his performances.
The arrival of Said Benrahma on loan in the summer was made permanent in January for a deal reporting to be up to £25 million, The Algerian did not hit the ground running in his start in London but has showed positive signs with four assists in 19 appearances so far this season. Craig Dawson was signed on loan from Watford for the season and has performed well. In January alone he was involved in 4 wins where he scored twice and kept two clean sheets and in their recent win against Leeds United, he was named man of the match after scoring and contributing hugely to a clean sheet with a goal line clearance late in the game. Moyes will be more than happy with the return from the new additions to his squad but he may be even more pleased with the development of the existing players.
Declan Rice has continued to prove himself as one of the best central midfielders in England making the second most tackles of any midfielder in the Premier League, behind Leicester’s Wilfred Ndidi. His ability to win the ball back and effectively move up it up the pitch with smartly picked passes or powering runs into space has attracted the attention of many of the Premier League’s top clubs and rightly so. Angelo Ogbonna has become a leader in the defensive line and was showing impressive form before an unfortunate injury suffered against Man United in the FA Cup. Lukasz Fabianski has been solid in goals, not quite hitting the form managing to secure 9 clean sheets. In attack, Michail Antonio has been in and out of the team with injury but in his play time he has contributed to ten goals in 18 appearances, a better return rate than the likes of Sadio Mane, Anthony Martial and Timo Werner. Jared Bowen has provided an exceptional work rate and been rewarded with five goals, and three assists. Perhaps the most impressive improvement in the squad is the development of Aaron Cresswell at left back. No defender has more assists this season than Cresswell and his seven in 27 appearances matches his best season in England’s top tier.
With 11 games still to play West Ham find themselves 5th in the league with a game in hand on all the teams above them, putting them in the same conversation as Leicester, Everton and Chelsea when it comes to the battle for European places. In 2021, only Man City have secured more points than the Hammers and there are no signs of them slowing down. When you look at the teams around them you can understand why West Ham fans may have been unsure about Moyes’ return in December 2019. With the likes of Carlo Ancelotti at Everton and Jose Mourinho at Tottenham, fans may have been looking for a bigger name to lead this squad, but the Scotsman has reminded us why he was once chosen as the successor to Sir Alex Ferguson.
So, who is to say Moyes cannot get this team into a European competition? You certainly cannot write them off.
Last Minute Corner 