da 888casino： West Ham would have been going into this season with optimism and hope with the squad that Manuel Pellegrini had built during the summer transfer window – two marquis signings in the likes of Sebastian Haller and Pablo Fornals showed a real intent for the Hammers to begin their climb of the Premier League table.
da betsul： As this season showed us, nothing is guaranteed, and with the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini in December after a string of poor results, it was only a matter of time before the Claret and Blue outfit found themselves looking down the barrel of a loaded gun – heading straight for the Championship.
The appointment of David Moyes just a few days later didn’t seem to do much to steady the ship at first, but after a few positive results, the club was safe from relegation by five points.
Here, we take a look at West Ham’s season – the good, the bad, and the downright disastrous…
Player of the Season – Declan Rice
The 21-year-old has become an ever-steady presence in West Ham’s starting lineup – having played every minute in the league this season.
Alongside Mark Noble, he is slowly becoming Mr. West Ham, and he has hardly put a foot wrong in the league this season, averaging a 7.01 WhoScored rating overall.
Goal of the Season – Declan Rice vs Watford, Jul 17th ’20
The kid’s done it again. This goal was an absolute cracker, not just the technique and quality, but also the importance – with Watford looking to keep their own distance from the relegation zone, being level on points with the Hammers prior to the game.
The win was huge for the club, taking them six points clear of the drop with two games still to play – and the goal from Rice was magnificent.
After receiving the ball from Mark Noble on towards the left, just outside of the Watford box, he shifts the ball onto his stronger right foot and unleashes an expert strike, wrapping his foot around the ball and placing it in the far right side netting, leaving Ben Foster in no man’s land – a truly wonderful goal.
Breakthrough Player – Jarrod Bowen
Firstly, I understand he isn’t technically a breakthrough player – the club signed him in January after a great first half of the season with Hull City in the Championship, but Bowen is only 23 and has hit the ground running since signing for the Hammers, and with a lack of youngsters being given a chance at the club this season – Bowen takes the ticket.
With a goal and four assists in his first 13 games for West Ham, the fans will be looking forward to next season and seeing Bowen flourish at the London Stadium.
Flop of the Season – Albian Ajeti
You’d be forgiven if you’d of forgotten that West Ham had signed Ajeti from Basel in August 2019 – the Swiss striker has only played nine league games for the club this season, all of which came from the bench in which he failed to make an impact at all.
With current links for a move away from the London club, it would be wise for West Ham and Ajeti to part ways, as his time at the club shall easily be forgotten by the fans and David Moyes, with the player not even managing a single goal for the Hammers.
Defining Moment – Pellegrini Out, Moyes In
It was expected that the West Ham board would want to part ways with the Chilean after a very poor start to the season, and post Christmas time was exactly that, with Pellegrini leaving the Hammers in December 2019.
Fast forward just two days later, and former boss David Moyes was brought back in an attempt to salvage anything he could from an already disastrous season.
Luckily for Gold and Sullivan, the decision worked – and the Scotsman was able to save the club from relegation for a second time, and will more than likely be given the chance to build on that for the upcoming season in September.
Signing of the Season – Tomas Soucek
The Czech midfielder signed for the club in January for an initial loan fee of just over £4million – but the club was quick to make this a permanent deal, given the positive and influential start that Soucek has made at West Ham, signing him just days after their Premier League status was confirmed.
The 6ft3 midfielder scored in West Ham’s 3-2 win over Chelsea, as well as a great header in that all-important game against Watford on the 17th July – overall Soucek has been a fantastic inclusion for the squad, and a great signing from David Moyes,
Hit Expectations? – NO
Sadly for West Ham fans and the club alike – this would not have been the type of season they envisioned at the start of the campaign. The aim for the squad that Pellegrini had built would have been at least a top-half finish, and maybe even a push for a spot in next season’s Europa League – but with all being said there have been positives to take from this season.
Declan Rice looks effervescent in becoming West Ham’s next captain, and Michail Antonio found great form after the restart.
All in all, it is time for the Hammers to put this season behind them, and attempt to look forward to the start of the Premier League again come September, with hopes of a more positive season ahead.