Slav’s the man, but what will he bring to West Ham?

Slaven Bilic has been named as West Ham United’s new manager.

The announcement was made after a teasing delay from West Ham’s media team but Bilic has spoken of his delight at signing for the Hammers. He told whufc.com:

“I’m really glad to be back with West Ham United,” Bilic said. “It’s in the Premier League, which is among the best in the world. It’s a big challenge and you are competing with the best and what better club to do it with than West Ham.

“I remember West Ham as a special club. I love these kinds of special clubs. My last club, Besiktas, was that kind of club. It’s not about the size- West Ham is a big club- there is something special about them- they are a cult club”

So what will Bilic bring to our special club? The former West Ham defender will certainly provide a change in footballing philosophy at West Ham, something that was the top priority for most supporters as the club looked for a new man to replace Sam Allardyce. Stats courtesy of whoscored.com show Bilic’s Besiktas as a team that is very strong at attacking down the wings. Last season, West Ham relied heavily on the full-backs to provide width to their play so Bilic may be in the market for a couple of midfielders that are capable of playing out wide.

The style of play stats will undoubtedly get the Hammers fans excited, with possession football and controlling the game in the opposition’s half key elements of Bilic’s style. It will provide a welcome contrast to the naïve performances under Allardyce where the team often sat back and allowed the opposition to heap pressure on the Hammers.

Bilic will need to dip into the transfer market if he wants to effectively implement this particular style of play at the club, especially with West Ham lacking a real source of creativity in midfield. Stewart Downing looked like the type of player who could pull the strings in the middle for half a season but I would imagine that Bilic will want a new, creative spark capable of encouraging a possession-style of play. Someone like Yohan Cabaye of Paris Saint Germain would fit the bill but there is bound to be hundreds of names linked with the club now that Bilic has been announced as the new manager.

The former Besiktas man has under a month to prepare for the start of West Ham’s Europa League campaign so West Ham fans should expect a lot of movement in terms of player recruitment this month. It is understood that the transfer budget is around £30 million so there is the definitely the potential for West Ham to add a number of quality players to the squad, especially when there are also good players available as free agents.

Whatever happens, it is important to wish Slaven all the best as West Ham’s new manager and everybody here at Forever West Ham wishes our new manager the best of luck. Welcome Slaven!