West Ham have completed one signing this summer, in the form of right-back Ryan Fredericks.
Former West Ham United striker Tony Cottee has told the club’s official website that Ryan Fredericks will be a good signing after the east Londoners completed a move to land the right-back – but Cottee has also urged the club to keep four attacking stars.
Fredericks, 25, has moved across London from newly-promoted Fulham to joined West Ham on a free transfer, after the flying full back decided to reject the chance to remain at Craven Cottage.
Cottee gave his verdict on the former Tottenham Hotspur academy star, but also urged new boss Manuel Pellegrini to keep quartet Andy Carroll, Javier Hernandez, Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic – who have all been linked with moves.
Cottee believes that if the club are to progress, they need their best players on side and keeping those four players is crucial to the Hammers’ aim of bettering their disappointing 13th place in 2017-18.
“Fredericks has come in and I’ve seen a lot of him. He’s a really good player,” Cottee said. “He’s good going forward and he’s got a good engine. He’s a really good signing for the club. We need some other, really good players to come in now.
“Hopefully Michail Antonio will be fit. He’s a big player for us. Marko Arnautovic obviously was our star player last year and we will need him at his best again. We’ve got to keep our best players. We need Andy Carroll fit and we need Chicharito in form, banging the goals in.”
The Times claimed earlier this month that the Hammers could sell Carroll, while Mexico star Hernandez wants to leave the club, according to the Daily Mail. Antonio has been linked with Crystal Palace (Mirror), while Arnautovic has been widely reported as a target for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
But Cottee wants all four to stay, and more signings, as the Hammers look to finally repeat the successes of Slaven Bilic’s first season at the club, which saw the Hammers finish in seventh place during 2015-16.
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