West Ham sign 20-goal striker, ex-Chelsea man & new defender in dream XI for next season if rumours are true

West Ham will be looking ahead to next season as they look all but safe in the Premier League relegation battle.

Graham Potter’s side have won two games in a row as they beat Arsenal 1-0 before beating Leicester City 2-0 in their last game on Thursday night. It leaves the Hammers 15th in the Premier League table, 16 points above the relegation zone.

West Ham invested a lot of money into their team as they spent almost £120 million this season on new players, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Hammers add some more talent in the summer transfer window.

It could be the difference between mid-table obscurity, and a shot at European football next season for the first time under Potter. We decided to put together a dream starting XI if recent transfer rumours are true.

West Ham add Southampton star in defence

GK - Alfonse Areola

Defenders - Aaron Cresswell, Max Kilman, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Aaron Wan-Bissaka

West Ham goalkeeper Areola has been as impressive as ever this season for the Hammers, so it is unlikely that they will add a new keeper. The 32-year-old is under contract until June 2027.

Despite being at the age of 35, Cresswell keeps his place in Potter’s starting XI as the Hammers have not been linked with signing a left-back in the past few weeks, which comes as a slight surprise. But there is change at centre-back.

West Ham have been linked to Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who could leave the Saints as it looks a certainty that they will face relegation to the Championship in the summer. He has also been linked with Tottenham and Crystal Palace.

He will line up alongside Max Kilman, who joined from Wolves in the last summer transfer window.

Star attackers drop into West Ham midfield

Midfielders: Mohammed Kudus, Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez, Jarrod Bowen

With recent transfer rumours linking the Hammers to signing two top strikers, Potter will be able to return the likes of Kudus and Bowen to their more natural position in midfield rather than upfront.

Kudus has been linked with a move away, but Bowen looks set in stone at the London Stadium.

In central midfield, the Hammers also haven’t been linked with adding any top names, so for now Soucek and Alvarez keep their place in midfield, which has worked well for Potter in their last two matches.

£71 million striker pair complete Potter’s XI

Strikers: Tammy Abraham, Jonathan David

The striker position is a clear need for the Hammers, as they have seen injuries to both Nicolas Fullkrug and Michail Antonio this season so far. It meant that they signed Brighton attacker Evan Ferguson on loan for the rest of the season.

Looking to next season, they have reportedly been in talks with Lille FC striker Jonathan David, who has also been linked to Arsenal and Spurs. David is set to become a free agent in the summer and has shown himself to be one of the most prolific scorers in Europe this season. He has 20 goals in 36 games for the French side this season.

Furthermore, they have also been linked to signing AC Milan striker Tammy Abraham, who has attracted interest from rivals Fulham too. He is only on loan at Milan and is expected to return to Roma in the summer. He started his career with Chelsea but had a number of loan spells away from Stamford Bridge. He made his debut in 2016 before leaving in 2021.

He could be on the move after falling out of favour at Roma, hence why he left for Milan on loan. Abraham has scored eight goals and contributed four assists for the Serie A giants this season.