West Ham United have done some good business this summer but it could get even better.
The Hammers have signed five players so far this summer with Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and young prospect Sead Haksabanovic arriving in East London.
Slaven Bilic‘s recruitment seems to have been markedly improved after some disastrous business last season.
As well as the signings West Ham have thus far managed to hold on to their key players and ship out many of the flops signed last summer.
A 4-0 thrashing in the opening game of the season against Manchester United and a harsh last gasp 3-2 defeat to Southampton with 10 men has seen the new signings make very different starts to their Hammers careers.
Bilic admitted at the weekend that he was still in the market for players given the fact West Ham have a net spend of just £10m thanks to a raft of sales and more likely to follow as the likes of Robert Snodgrass leave the club.
Speculation has linked Bilic with a host of players and here are the three stars on his wishlist which would complete a superb transfer window for the Croatian.
William Carvalho
The name on the lips of every West Ham fan for the last two weeks has been Portugal star William Carvalho. The ‘is he, isn’t he coming’ saga continues to roll on but a number of sources claim the Hammers are set to close a record £35m deal for the classy midfielder.
The Sporting Lisbon star helped Portugal win last summer’s European Championships and would be a huge coup for the East Londoners. He would also help shield West Ham’s brittle defence and be the fulcrum to start attacks, very much in the style of former Hammers midfielder Michael Carrick.
Jack Wilshere
West Ham fans have had their fill of injury-prone players. But links to Jack Wilshere refuse to go away. The Arsenal outcast was a boyhood Hammers fan and has been linked with a move to the London Stadium all summer.
Wilshere was sent off playing for Arsenal’s U23 side this week and Bilic is said to be keen on adding more creativity to his squad with an over reliance on Manuel Lanzini, who the Hammers have sorely missed through injury so far this season.
Raul Jimenez
Another player linked with the club all summer has been Benfica forward Raul Jimenez. Bilic faces competition from Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho for his signature but with reports Diafra Sakho could leave the club, Jimenez could well see more game time in London.
According to the Express, West Ham are keen to pair Jimenez with his Mexican international team-mate Javier Hernandez as they aim to improve the club’s fortunes on the pitch this season.
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