West Ham United's best summer signing will be £17m PSG star - according to bold prediction
The Hammers’ best signing of the summer transfer window - according to Football Manager
West Ham United are hoping to retain their Premier League status this term and face a challenging run-in if they are to get themselves enough points to survive the drop.
The Hammers have been in the bottom three for much of the campaign, but recent results have offered hope that they may have enough to survive another year as a top-flight side – though it looks set to go right down to the wire. Regardless of which division the Hammers find themselves in next term, they will face an important summer and will need to improve on patchy recent recruitment if the east Londoners’ much-criticised ownership is to take the club back in the right direction.
We looked to Football Manager to predict West Ham’s summer transfer window – with the Hammers predicted to approach the new 2026/27 season with their Premier League status still intact.
West Ham’s best signing of summer 2026 - according to Football Manager
Football Manager 26 predicts that West Ham will make 13 signings this summer as they look to rebuild their squad under Nuno Espirito Santo. While few of their summer arrivals appear to make a huge impact on the side, the stand-out is PSG defender Lucas Beraldo.
The 22-year-old centre-back arrives on loan in the save and makes 40 starts for West Ham in all competitions, earning one Player of the Match award and an average rating of 6.88, while also picking up nine yellow cards throughout the campaign. Having signed for PSG for £17m from Sao Paolo in his native Brazil in 2024, Beraldo makes the step to England in the FM26 save and becomes a regular starter for the Hammers.
Amongst the Hammers’ other summer recruits are some recognisable names. Mateo Joseph arrives for £15.25m from Leeds United but does not make a single start, scoring once off the bench, while Tommy Conway signs from Middlesbrough for £11m and does not appear for the Irons whatsoever. Kilian Fischer and Cameron Archer arrive for £2.7m and £2.5m respectively, with the latter scoring five goals for his new employers.
Roberto Alvarado, Hidemasa Morita and Emilio Lawrence also arrive on free transfers, while the Hammers sign Owen Beck, Douglas Santos, Jan Bednarek, Luis Henrique and Diego Conde on run-of-the-mill loan deals which make little impact.
Would Beraldo be a good signing for West Ham?
Beraldo has made 75 appearances for PSG since signing for the European champions in January 2024 but has struggled to nail down a starting spot and has not featured at all in the Champions League this term.
While concrete transfer links with Premier League sides such as the Hammers have yet to arise in reality, it is conceivable that the player may find himself linked with an exit in the summer window if his first-team opportunities do not increase in the coming months.
Beraldo was heavily linked with Liverpool before ultimately signing for the Parisian giants and retains a highly-rated reputation in the game. West Ham have improved defensively in recent weeks with the mid-season addition of Axel Disasi but a summer move for Beraldo might pay off handsomely if the Irons are to make Football Manager’s prediction a reality. The move is not enough to inspire a rise up the table in the save, though, as they finish 16th in the Premier League and survive relegation by just six points.