Where can West Ham realistically finish in the Premier League?

Much has already been said about the vast improvement West Ham have shown at the start of this Premier League season, in comparison to the previous campaign. Most people connected with the club have seemingly been delighted with the quality football and attacking displays that have been on show, and particularly with the way that the new summer signings have fitted in. Indeed, co-chairman David Sullivan has only recently publicly expressed his approval of the job Sam Allardyce has been doing.

But after this early season optimism and all the plaudits for the players, chairmen and manager alike, the question that can now be asked is just how far are West Ham able to go this season?

For me, with all the attacking options that are currently in the squad, hopefully coupled with the usual strong defensive side of the game that you get from a Sam Allardyce team, a top 10 finish is the minimum that should be achieved. Even if the usual avalanche of injuries hits the Hammers during the campaign (which it has already started to), then there looks to be plenty of good replacements ready to step into the fray.

So a position of 9th or 10th in the table should be comfortably achieved, even if the injury curse does strike. Certainly I would say there are at least 10 other clubs in the Premier League this season which have weaker squads than ours.

However, with the right amount of luck in terms of injuries, then I believe it is quite foreseeable that West Ham could even push for a Europa League place instead, finishing in the range of 8th to 6th. For this to happen things would have to go our way, no question, but it can be done.

Despite the strong depth the squad now appears to have, there are still a certain few individuals, who, if unable to play for a significant period of time over the season, would seriously affect the team in a negative way. Keeping those players fit will arguably be the difference between a mid-table finish and competing for a European place.

Three of those players are already going to be lost for a few weeks around January time, in the form of Cheikhou Kouyate, Alex Song and Diafra Sakho to the African cup of Nations. And Kouyate is currently out injured until November. These have been three of the stand out performers this term, and I think the power and passing ability in midfield of Kouyate and Song, as well the goals of Sakho up front would be very hard to replicate were any of those to be out for a length of time.

Indeed if the Sakho and Enner Valencia strike partnership were to be broken up it would be a big blow in itself, considering how dangerous the pair have looked playing together over the past few games. The other strikers waiting in the wings are Carlton Cole and (eventually) Andy Carroll, who wouldn’t be able to produce the same type of threat that the pacy new signings have been.

Another area in which the Hammers would really struggle if injuries occurred would be in the centre back slots. This is one position in which there is little cover at this moment in time. There are three centre-backs in James Collins, James Tomkins and Winston Reid, who can be relied upon to provide a good job in Premier League football. After those, then the only other central defensive option comes in the form of teenager Reece Burke, who probably wouldn’t be ready yet for such a challenge.

So a top 10 finish this season should be well within the Hammers grasp, considering what we have seen so far. Whether they could push on further from mid-table to potentially challenging for a European place is also a possibility, assuming certain key players can retain their fitness and form over an entire campaign, although it would be a big ask.

Let me know your thoughts.