Football Season Guide

West Ham United had a season to forget last time around as they stumbled their way through the campaign and, while they did finish in a respectable position just outside the top half of the table, it was well below their expectation of challenging for a European spot. Dmitri Payet's transfer saga cast an unwanted shadow over West Ham's campaign right from the start last season but there have been no such problems this time around as West Ham went into the transfer window with a clear view of the type of players needed to be signed. The Hammers look to have finally found their replacement for Payet by splashing the cash for Stoke City's Marko Arnautovic while Javier Hernandez could prove to be one of their key signings of recent seasons with the former Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen striker having shown that he will be amongst the goals if handed regular starts. Joe Hart arrives on loan from Manchester City and is expected to take over as the first choice keeper after both Adrian and Darren Randolph failed to make the spot their own last season, with the latter being sold off to Middlesbrough. Pablo Zabaleta's arrival means that Michail Antonio will be able to focus on the attacking aspect of his game. Slaven Bilic has looked to cull his large squad as Havard Nordtveit, Ashley Fletcher and Enner Valencia were sold and Reece Oxford was sent out on loan. The Hammers did not exercise their option to make Jonathan Calleri and Gokhan Tore's loan moves permanent while Alvaro Arbeloa has also been released following a disappointing campaign last season. Injuries and poor form had forced Bilic to chop and change both the formation and personnel on regular basis last season but the West Ham coach will be hoping for a bit more luck in terms of injuries to key players. Nevertheless, they will be heading into the new season without Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate who will be missing the start of the campaign. Bilic will also be seeking to improve their form at the London Stadium, with West Ham finishing fifth from the bottom in terms of points collected in front of their home fans. With West Ham facing a tough start to the season, with four of their first five games coming on the road, Bilic will be aware that his side needs to avoid another poor start if they are to have any hopes of challenging for a place in the top seven of the Premier League.