West Ham United is a club with a significant history and tradition in the English game. That history is strongly connected to the fact that three of England’s World Cup 1966 squad, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, and Martin Peters, were all Hammers.
In reality, though, success has been hard for the Hammers throughout their history.
West Ham have never been English champions
The Irons have won few trophies. Their Europa Conference League triumph in season 2023 was a refreshing change for the club from the east end of the English capital.
In the 124-year history in their current guise, West Ham have never won the English top-flight title. Their highest-ever finish in the top flight came in season 1985/86 when a team containing the likes of top goalscorer Frank McAvennie and club icon Tony Cottee finished third place in the table.
Unfortunately for the Hammers, Merseyside giants Liverpool and Everton dominated that campaign and seemed to be taking turns winning the league in the mid-80s, so they proved to be too strong.
The Hammers failed to build on that third-place finish. In the following campaign, they dropped to 15th place in the table. Since then, West Ham have struggled to get anywhere near as close to the top of the English top-flight table. They have even suffered relegation to the second tier in recent decades.
They have at least won cup competitions, winning the FA Cup on three occasions, the League Cup twice, the Cup Winners’ Cup, and most recently, the aforementioned Europa Conference League.
By the standards of some clubs, it’s not a massive trophy collection, with most of their trophies won in the 1960s and 1970s.
A highly impressive summer
On paper, West Ham have enjoyed a highly successful summer regarding signings. The Hammers have made eight signings in the window, with some fascinating moves.
The first one that caught my eye was the signing of one of my recent FM favourites, Jean-Clair Todibo, on loan from Nice with a view to a permanent transfer next summer.
When it comes to FM, I usually sign the Frenchman when my team qualifies for the Champions League. He is a quality player who can stay in your team for a decade.
No doubt, it will be harder to sign Todibo in FM25. The obvious issue is that you can’t sign him in the first transfer window. He will also be more expensive to sign now he’s at West Ham.
Another intriguing signing was that of Brazilian starlet Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras. At 18 years of age, he is very much in the infancy of his career. However, he has enormous potential. It will be a big surprise if he is not a wonderkid on FM25, probably becoming a star player in his 20s.
Another young player who arrived at the club this summer is Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United. He signed after an impressive campaign in the Championship last season, scoring 19 goals and producing nine assists.
He will likely enjoy an upgrade on his stats from last season, as he is a player who is starting to fulfil his potential. Summerville could be an exciting player to watch next season with the Irons.
The Hammers have also made some more solid signings, such as Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Max Kilman, the latter of whom was reported to have cost £40m. All the new additions will add quality to the Hammers’ already promising squad.
Fullkrug scored 16 goals for Werder Bremen and Dortmund last season in all competitions. In recent seasons, he has proven that he knows how to find the back of the net.
The forward position was an issue for the Hammers last season, with winger Jarrod Bowen sometimes playing in the central striker role. Bowen and the likes of Summerville and Guilherme could provide the ideal service for the club’s new central forward.
In fact, West Ham’s squad for season 2024/25 could well be the Irons’ strongest squad in recent history.
I may manage West Ham for the first time in years
I have to admit that the prospect of managing West Ham has never occurred to me. However, the Hammers transfer activity has me believing that I may decide to do a West Ham save when FM25 is released.
They have the sort of interesting and exciting squad of players that makes the game entertaining. Taking West Ham to their first-ever English title may not seem like a significant challenge with the right tactic, but the competition for the title is fierce.
If I can get my hands on an updated database on FM24 before the release of FM25, I may even try a West Ham save on the current version of the game.
The Irons could even be a good option for our tactic-testing articles in the near future. Either way, West Ham looks to have a bright future in real life and on FM25.
Could West Ham be an interesting save on FM25?
