Aiming to make a name for themselves continentally as well as domestically, West Ham United have high expectations to live up to in the 2021-22 season.
David Moyes's men are fighting for success both in the Premier League and Europa League following their top-six finish last term, and the Scot will navigate the Hammers through their first-ever group stage campaign in Europe.
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Whether the pressure and fatigue of midweek action will cause a drop-off in league fortunes for the Hammers remains to be seen, but Moyes certainly has the players capable of emulating their stellar 2020-21 campaign.
Here, Sports Mole provides an in-depth preview of their 2021-22 season and where we think the Hammers may finish come the spring.
FIXTURES
After beginning their 2020-21 season at home to Newcastle United, West Ham will instead open the new campaign away to the Magpies at St James' Park before facing Leicester City and Crystal Palace later this month.
The period between Halloween and Christmas is a particularly taxing one for Moyes's men, who must take on Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of five weeks.
West Ham's 2022 begins with a New Year's Day clash at Crystal Palace, and a gruelling end to the season sees Moyes's side face Chelsea, Arsenal, Norwich City and Man City in the final four gameweeks.
> Click here to see all of West Ham United's 2021-22 fixtures
SUMMER SIGNINGS
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In
Craig Dawson (£2.1m, Watford)
Thierry Nevers (undisclosed, Reading)
Alphonse Areola (loan, Paris Saint-Germain)
Out
Oladapo Afolayan (free, Bolton Wanderers)
Joseph Anang (loan, Stevenage)
Fabian Balbuena (free, Dynamo Moscow)
Felipe Anderson (£2.7m, Lazio)
Nathan Holland (loan, Oxford United)
Nathan Trott (loan, Nancy)
Total spent to date: £2.1m
Total received to date: £2.7m
Net transfer balance: £0.6m
SQUAD
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Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola, Lukasz Fabianski, Darren Randolph, David Martin
Defenders: Vladimir Coufal, Ryan Fredericks, Ben Johnson, Craig Dawson, Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna, Winston Reid, Frederik Alves, Aaron Cresswell, Arthur Masuaku
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Mark Noble, Conor Coventry, Manuel Lanzini
Forwards: Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen, Andriy Yarmolenko, Xande Silva, Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma
> Click here for full details of West Ham's 2021-22 squad
STRONGEST XI
STAR PLAYER - TOMAS SOUCEK
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Affectionately dubbed the 'Czech Patrick Vieira', Tomas Soucek has been nothing short of a revelation in the Hammers midfield since his initial arrival on loan in January 2020, and West Ham did not think twice about signing him permanently from Sparta Prague.
Having already developed a reputation as a goal-getter - claiming 28 goals and 12 assists from 121 appearances in the Fortuna Liga - Soucek took no time at all to settle into the Premier League and make nets ripple up and down the country.
Forming an extremely effective partnership in the middle with defensive lynchpin Declan Rice, Soucek ended the 2020-21 season with 10 goals to his name from 38 Premier League appearances, finishing as West Ham's joint-top scorer alongside Michail Antonio.
The 6ft 4in Czech powerhouse is adept in the air, under contract until 2024 and always plays with a smile etched across his face. Unsurprisingly an ever-present for the Czech Republic at Euro 2020, West Ham fans are eagerly awaiting Soucek's prowess to be proven on the European stage.
MANAGER - DAVID MOYES
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"That's what I do. I win." Words spoken by David Moyes upon his return to the London Stadium in December 2019, as the former Manchester United and Everton manager sought to pick up where he left off following his previous short-lived spell.
Moyes's job at West Ham for the second half of the 2017-18 season was simply to secure the club's Premier League status, but since being reinstated as the Hammers' coach, he has elevated the capital side to a whole new level.
The 58-year-old may have endured a shaky start to his second spell at West Ham before the first coronavirus lockdown, but as he did so often with Everton, he propelled the club to the cusp of Champions League qualification before settling for a spot in the Europa League last term.
It came as no surprise to see Moyes extend his stay at the London Stadium until 2024 earlier in the summer, with the stellar Scot overseeing West Ham's record number of Premier League wins (19) and away wins (nine) during an inspirational 2020-21 season.
LAST SEASON - 6TH
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The West Ham faithful must have thought their worst fears were coming true once again following back-to-back opening defeats to Newcastle United and Arsenal, but it did not take long for the results to start rolling in for Moyes's men.
Heads were turned when West Ham thrashed Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 before a 3-0 triumph over Leicester City, and two weeks later, Manuel Lanzini would produce the most spectacular strike to ever leave his boot to rescue a dramatic 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Moyes's men were keeping pace with the top-six pack at the halfway point, and a six-game unbeaten run between December and January - during which the final four games all ended in victory - led to talk of a sustained European charge.
West Ham would break into the top four on matchday 26 with victory over Spurs, but defeats to Manchester City and Manchester United - as well as throwing away a three-goal lead against Arsenal - swiftly dented such hopes of Champions League football.
However, with a reinvigorated Jesse Lingard in tow, West Ham took seven points from the last nine on offer to book their spot in Europe's secondary competition, and they will finally take their place in the group stage after two preliminary round exits in 2015 and 2016.
PREDICTION
Attempting to juggle domestic and European commitments is something that many of these players are yet to experience, and even the most ardent Hammers supporters can expect that to impact their league form.
Keeping Rice on the books is a vital move, but failing to secure Lingard on a permanent deal or bring in a new frontman is cause for concern, and we can see the Hammers slipping back into mid-table obscurity this term.
VERDICT: 10th
Ben Knapton
