West Ham United supporters in the Football Transfer Tavern are growing impatient at the lack of new signings at the London Stadium this summer.
The Hammers’ first season at the London Stadium failed to materialise as many were hoping. The Irons’ new stadium was supposed to operate as a platform to propel the club into a team of greater repute and a superior calibre.
Nonetheless, despite these ambitions, West Ham finished in 11th place. To ensure that their aspirations of becoming a bigger club are attained, they must delve into the transfer market and sign players that will strengthen the quality of Slaven Bilic’s squad.
If West Ham fail to acquire their targets and introduce players who will not augment Bilic’s first-team options, then relegation could be a possibility.
As Leicester City displayed, anything is possible in the Premier League. Accordingly, our landlord has highlighted three stats that show how relegation could be a possibility for the Hammers…
Stat 1: 78 yellow cards and five red cards
West Ham had one of the worst disciplinary records in the Premier League last season. They amassed the joint-third highest total of yellow cards, behind only West Brom and Watford.
Also, they managed to accumulate the joint-highest total of red cards in the league, five – equalling Watford and Hull in that regard.
Red cards prove to be so decisive in determining the outcome of a game, the suspensions that derive from red cards and yellow cards hindered the Hammers’ progress last season. It is vital that they improve upon this.
Stat 2: Only 24 goals from open play
In 38 league games, to only score 24 goals from open play is an alarming statistic and one that the Hammers must address.
It is crucial to recognise that the Irons did face several injury troubles last season, in particular, their striker Andy Carroll. That said, West Ham must bolster their attacking options to address this concerning statistic.
Stat 3: 16 goals from set-pieces
West Ham proved to be proficient from dead-ball situations, scoring the fourth highest total of set-piece goals in the Premier League. While this fact does illustrate the Hammers’ superb aerial prowess and terrific ability to create meaningful goal-scoring opportunities, it isn’t always a reliable source of scoring goals.
If a team with great discipline faces West Ham and concedes fewer free-kicks and corners than other teams, then the Iron’s chances of scoring a goal are significantly reduced.
Do you agree? Let us know!
