Rating every player West Ham signed this season - including £22m flop and 9/10 gem
West Ham have spent around £170m on new signings this season
West Ham United have three games left this season to preserve their status as a Premier League side. As things stand, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are trapped in the relegation zone, one point off Spurs in 17th who boast a superior goal difference which, in effect, makes it a two-point gap.
This weekend, the Hammers take on a highly motivated Arsenal side who are looking to secure their first Premier League title since 2004, before two further tough tests in the form of a trip to Newcastle United and the visit of Leeds on the final day of the season. Spurs, meanwhile, face Leeds, Chelsea, and Everton. The pressure is building, and it could well all go down to a dramatic, Gameweek 38 finale.
The Hammers invested heavily in new signings last summer, but the squad simply hasn’t managed to gel, with the disjointed performances seeing the east London side occupy the lower regions of the Premier League table for most of the season. Ahead of Sunday’s vital clash, we’ve rated every signing the club made last summer, based on their debut campaigns.
Rating every player West Ham have signed this season - Todibo to Hermansen
Jean-Clair Todibo: 4/10 - West Ham’s most expensive signing at £33m fell out with former manager Julen Lopetegui last season when he was initially at the club on loan, and struggled to convince Graham Potter of his value too. He bounced back under Santo with some fine performances over the winter months, but a costly red card against Chelsea followed by a calf injury have very much stalled his resurgence, leaving him reduced to warming the bench.
El Hadji Malick Diouf: 9/10 - In contrast to Todibo, Diouf has proved to be an excellent piece of business. At £19m, he’s proved to be a bargain, and has given West Ham an explosive, high octane option down the left wing. The only downside was his unavoidable absence to play in Senegal’s victorious Africa Cup of Nations side, which saw him miss over a month of Premier League action. If the Irons do go down, they’ll seriously struggle to hold onto the 21-year-old gem.
Kyle Walker-Peters: 7/10 - Given that he came in as a free agent, it’s hard to be too critical of KWP’s debut season at the London Stadium. He’s picked up plenty of game time and has largely been a solid operator at the back. That match-winning goal against Burnley back in November was invaluable, given the ‘six-pointer’ nature of the clash.
Callum Wilson: 5/10 - Another shrewd signing, bringing in Wilson didn’t cost West Ham a penny. He’s looked a yard or three off the pace all season, however, justifying the underwhelmed fan reaction when his acquisition was revealed last summer. After looking like he could leave back in January, the veteran forward ended up stay and extending his contract. The importance of his last gasp winner against Everton last month can’t be overstated.
Rating every player West Ham have signed this season - Fernandes to Traore
Mads Hermansen: 6/10 - Dropped by Potter after a dreadful start to the season, the £20m signing was unable to make a decent case for himself to be the Hammers’ new number one. His form has been far better under Santo, however, with highly impressive back-to-back performances against Fulham and Man City back in March. Overall, not an outstanding signing, but a reasonably solid one.
Mateus Fernandes: 9/10 - If West Ham go down, they’re going to struggle to hold on to the Portuguese star. Arguably the club’s best player this season behind only Jarrod Bowen, the ex-Southampton midfielder has become a metronomic presence in midfield, and you can’t help but feel he’s often let down by the relative lack of quality around him.
Soungoutou Magassa: 5/10 - Bar that dramatic late equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw against Man United at Old Trafford in December, it’s been a largely underwhelming debut campaign for the £17m signing. He’s found minutes hard to come by and has generally been limited to cameo displays. His penchant for picking up a booking has also been far from ideal.
Pablo Felipe: 4/10 - West Ham desperately needed goals as they headed into the January transfer window, and took a serious gamble in signing Pablo - a forward impressing in Portugal but with limited experience - for £22m. His work ethic can’t be questioned, but strikers are ultimately judged on their goal tally: he’s not scored a single one. Still, he has at least formed a strike partnership of note with Taty Castellanos, albeit with the more supporting role of the two.
Taty Castellanos: 7/10 - The all-action striker has injected some much needed life into West Ham’s forward line, and he netted a crucial winner against QPR in the FA Cup to endear himself with the Hammers faithful. Other than that, he’s been far from prolific, but his brace in the 4-0 battering of Wolves was another valuable moment.
Adama Traore: 5/10 - Brought in to be very much an option from off the bench, it’s hard to point to much he’s done other than lots of running. Exceptionally fast running, to be fair. Ultimately, he only cost £1m, so Traore’s signing can’t be judged too harshly with such a minimal outlay from the club.