West Ham enjoyed a superb summer transfer window, which was always going to be difficult given the loss of Declan Rice.
But manager David Moyes and technical director Tim Steidten worked together well to help fill that gap and then some.
Midfield maestro James Ward-Prowse was brought in from Southampton, with talented duo Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus signed from Ajax.
And while the new recruits have slotted in effortlessly at the London Stadium, the club are perhaps not exactly where they want to be at this stage of the season.
Many Hammers fans will not be complaining given how strong the club are going in competitions such as the Europa League and League Cup, but ninth spot in the league may be disappointing after their strong start to the campaign.
It means Moyes and Steidten may now need to work their magic in the January transfer window in order to revitalise the London Stadium, particularly after the injuries to Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen during the current international break.
The boss and technical director have now been given a boost for the upcoming window, with Premier League clubs voting against a proposal to fast-track a ban on loan moves for players moving to the top flight between associated clubs [The Athletic, 21 November].
While the ban would have perhaps mainly impacted Newcastle United’s ability to loan players from Saudi Arabia, Sky Sports reported earlier this month that “a number of other clubs whose owners either control or have investment in other clubs abroad” would have been impacted, with West Ham on that list.
The powers that be in East London can now breathe a sigh of relief, as they still have this potential avenue to go down for new players given the rejection of the proposal.
