West Ham fans in the Transfer Tavern can finally breathe a sigh of relief following their club’s strange Premier League campaign.

Whilst there was always going to be a nervous buzz following the switch from Upton Park to the London Stadium at the start of the season, not many punters in the Tavern expected Slaven Bilic’s men to perform so disappointingly after their wonderful season in 2015/16. Of course, the Hammers in the Tavern will point to the stadium move as the sole reason but our landlord believes that consistency is the real problem at West Ham and feels that needs to change before the club can make any real progress.

It is no secret that the departure of main man, Dimitri Payet, did not help the Irons in their quest this season and the signing of Robert Snodgrass from Hull did not do much to fill the void left by the creative Frenchman but the emphasis is now on the people in charge at West Ham to really make a statement on and off the pitch.

This is a common view shared by the West Ham fans in the Tavern and they have outlined two issues Bilic needs to address to bring success to their club.

Let’s take a look at them here…

A replacement for Dimitri Payet

Slaven Bilic needs to find that player with the x-factor to really entertain the West Ham faithful and there has not been a shortage of talented players linked with the Hammers in recent weeks.

The likes of Anthony Martial by goal.com has been linked with the club and if he joins the club, it will be regarded as a major coup for the Irons.

Of course, Payet had that swagger about him that excited the West Ham fans but what the club have really missed is his impact on the pitch and his ability to create chances and pop up with a few goals. A real creative player is a must in this window in order to take the pressure of the creativity of Manuel Lanzini.

Tighten up the defence

With sixty-four goals conceded across the Premier League season, West Ham fans in the Tavern really want to see an improvement at the back from their side.

Whilst Bilic tried to fix this issue during the season by signing Euro 2016 winner, Jose Fonte from Southampton as well as changing his formation to the popular 3-5-2, nothing has seemed to work and it is something he really needs to address in pre-season.

Although, the season has just ended – our landlord believes the club have made strides in fixing this issue and if they can secure the signing of Pablo Zabaleta to add to their defence – that will be a signal of intent that Bilic is looking to shore up his defence for the new season.

Thoughts, West Ham fans? Let us know below!