Optimism was high at West Ham last year.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic with West Ham United’s Andy Carroll
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic faces a battle for his job according to The Sun, with club bosses demanding a top 10 finish.
It has been a tumultuous campaign for the Hammers, who lost star player Dimitri Payet in January and currently sit in 12th.
Optimism surrounding the club has faded, with the move to the Olympic Stadium sapping the energy out of crowds and the players on the pitch.
It all seems a far cry from 12 months ago, when West Ham were flying in the top half of the table and co-owner David Sullivan was touting the club as contenders to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
He told Talksport: “We have a list of about ten strikers all over Europe, and most of our money will go into signing a striker.
“That is the plan for next season. I’d love Ibrahimovic from PSG, but whether he’d come to us I don’t know. I know he’s 34 but he’s a fantastic player.”
Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic shoots at goal
Sullivan’s comments may have looked ambitous at the time, but they look more deluded now.
Zlatan signed for Manchester United, where he is earning perhaps twice as much as West Ham could afford to offer.
West Ham went from Zlatan to Zaza, failing to add a striker for big money as promised, bringing in the Italian flop on loan before offloading him in January.
This summer West Ham will be looking for a striker again, but could do without ownership setting the bar too high publicly.
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