It’s safe to say after the hype around the appointment of boss Julen Lopetegui, coupled with the over £100m investment from the hierarchy over the summer, the belief was that West Ham United would be sitting in a better position than they find themselves in.
The Hammers currently sit in 14th place in the Premier League, just five points clear of the drop zone after the opening 11 games of the Spaniard’s tenure at the London Stadium.
Lopetegui has only claimed three league wins since his appointment over the summer, ultimately failing to provide the upgrade on former boss David Moyes that many fans were hoping for.
However, he still has time on his hands to turn around the early season slump but will need to produce the results in the coming weeks if he is to keep his job in East London.
His chances of retaining the support of the board could’ve been aided had former boss Moyes kept hold of numerous key talents who all departed the club during the same transfer window.
West Ham’s transfer window in January 2024
West Ham saw numerous first-team players depart the Hammers during the January transfer window in 2024, in an attempt to free up space in the squad for the other new signings.
Spanish attacking midfielder Pablo Fornals departed the club, joining Spanish side Real Betis in a £6.8m deal – ending his four-and-a-half year stint at the London Stadium.
The 28-year-old made over 200 appearances during his time with the club, scoring 23 times in the process – with numerous having a huge impact under Moyes.
Undoubtedly, his most important effort came in the Europa Conference League semi-final win over Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, securing their place in the final against Fiorentina, one they would go on to win and create new history for the football club.
Fornals wasn’t the only player to depart the side, with defender Thilo Kehrer also leaving, albeit on a temporary basis to join French side Monaco.
The German made 50 appearances in his 18 months as a West Ham player, before turning his move with the Ligue 1 outfit permanently ahead of the ongoing campaign – with Lopetegui’s side receiving £9.5m for his services.
The aforementioned duo weren’t the only pair who left that window, with one former Hammer starting away from the club since his transfer to his new outfit.
The former West Ham ace who’s outperforming Paqueta & Kudus
Winger Said Benrahma joined the club back in the summer of 2020 for a £30m fee from fellow London outfit Brentford – looking to add that firepower to the club’s attacking unit.
The Algerian struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League during his debut campaign, scoring just once in his first 30 games in England’s top flight – but did manage to register six assists.
Sadly, Benrahma never lived up to the hype he arrived at the London Stadium with, making 155 appearances but only registering 24 goals – an average of one every 6.5 matches he appeared in.
His lack of form would see him shown the door in the same window as Fornals and Kehrer, joining French side Lyon, provisionally on loan, before a permanent deal was signed over the summer for £15m.
The move has allowed for the “unbelievable” 29-year-old, as dubbed by Statman Dave, to recapture some impressive form, scoring once and assisting twice in the opening seven league matches this campaign. In total, the Algerian has chalked up four goal involvements in all competitions thus far in 2024/25.
Benrahma’s subsequent tally of assists is higher than current first-team stars Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta, who have both failed to register a single assist in the Premier League. Equally, the pair have registered just three goal involvements and two goal involvements, respectively, across all fronts this term, thus placing them behind the Lyon man in that regard.
Given his form away from the capital, they must regret offloading the winger, with his form undoubtedly providing that added attacking edge that Lopetegui’s men have missed in recent weeks.
However, unfortunately for the Spaniard and the club’s supporters, it will remain a case of what could’ve been had they kept the Algerian beyond the summer.
