There is cause for plenty of optimism among West Ham fans for the season ahead.
The East Londoners clearly struggled last season, as they flirted with relegation before former Everton and Manchester United boss David Moyes came in and steadied the ship, after the club struggled during the early parts of last season under the guidance of Slaven Bilic.
West Ham now have a respected and proven manager in Manuel Pellegrini
Though Moyes achieved his target of avoiding relegation, he was never seen as a long-term option and has since been replaced by former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Pellegrini arrives at the London Stadium with an impressive reputation and vast experience, having managed teams in China, Spain, England, Argentina, Chile and Ecuador.
Pellegrini will also bring in a winning mentality to the Hammers, having led Manchester City to the Premier League title during the 2013-14 season.
The East Londoners have listened to fans and invested heavily in buying new players this summer
The Hammers co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan have finally listened to the fans of the club and have forked out heavily this summer on luring a quality manager and impressive new signings. The Hammers have brought in the likes of Lukasz Fabianski, Issa Diop, Ryan Fredericks, Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshere, Fabian Balbuena and Lucas Perez.
Hernandez is so confident about the quality of his team, that he feels that they can even finish in the top four. After arriving at West Ham last summer, the 30-year-old Hernandez had a modest debut season with the club, scoring 8 goals from 33 games in all competitions.
There was speculation that he could leave the club this summer for a new challenge, but he now looks set to stay and could be a big part of Pellegrini’s plans for the season ahead. His excitement certainly suggests that.
The Mexico international told West Ham’s website: “The club is doing well with improvements in all the areas, in the team, but also in all the staff they have brought in with the manager.
“Top six, top four is the aim, as high as we can. I’m a dreamer.
“I work hard and my thoughts are always positive. I am always aiming as high as I can and if we can put West Ham in the Champions League why not? That’s the dream, that’s the idea and hopefully we can get it.”
West Ham certainly have enough quality to have a strong finish on the top half of the standings. However, from a neutral perspective, a top four finish could be a tough ask, especially as they have to compete against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.
However upsets do happen in football.
