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How Slaven Bilic has concocted the ideal side to take West Ham into Europe

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Wind back a year and, despite a promising move to their new home supposedly signalling the beginning of a new era at the club, things were all over the place at West Ham.

The owners were in the process of bringing in 13 new additions, the majority of which had little to no Premier League experience and didn’t exactly scream progress, while declaring to the world that they had £30m to splash on a new striker – who never arrived.

It was a summer of quantity over quality as the Hammers looked to build a side big enough to take on Europe as well as mount a challenge on the top six back home.

What followed was 11 goalless games from their marquee striker Simone Zaza, before he left in January, and a season packed with turmoil in Stratford.

This summer, however, things are running a lot more smoothly. From the start manager Slaven Bilic has made it clear that they are signing players to improve the starting eleven and in areas which have been clearly identified.

Not only are they signing players to add to the first team, but those who have come in are accustom to the Premier League.

In signing Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and, most recently, Javier Hernandez Bilic has brought in an additional 760 Premier League appearances, as well as six winner’s medals.

Joe Hart has joined the Hammers on a season long loan after spending last year in Serie A with Torino.

The Hammers have been far more meticulous in their planning this time around, where last season you could have accused them having taking a chaotic approach, this time around they seem to be working from the school of D’Alembert, a reliable, thought out roulette technique which often yields the best return in the long run.

Europe is very much the aim for this current crop in claret and blue, although co-owner David Sullivan light-heartedly suggested a domestic treble is their ambition, and having fallen in the qualifying rounds in their last two attempts – an automatic group spot should be the target.

However, the top six has only got tougher to break this summer. Ronald Koeman and his Everton side went closest last term, finishing eight points adrift of Manchester United, but those who finished inside that top six have strengthened to the tune of nearly half a billion so far in this window, meaning it will take an almighty effort to pull them down.

The Toffees themselves have spent big, nearly £90m according to transferleague.co.uk, in a bid to bolster their ranks and mount a charge, whilst also replacing star striker Romelu Lukaku. However, you could quite feasibly argue that the Hammers have done far better business than their rivals for those Europa League spots.

The blue half of Merseyside have brought in players with far less Premier League experience than those moving to the capital, for a much more inflated price, where as other contenders for such places, such as Southampton, are yet to really move in the market.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has had a busy summer as he looks for his side to break into the top six next year.

Where the Toffees are still in flux as to whether or not Ross Barkley will be staying put, where Wayne Rooney will play and will Lukaku’s goals be replaced, Bilic is comparably comfortable.

The Croatian and his team identified their weaknesses and have upgraded in every single department they needed to. There were plenty of question marks over their first choice shot-stopper last term, with Adrian and Darren Randolph chopping and change between the sticks, not to worry – just sign England’s first choice. Problems a right-back? A two-time title winner will do.

Then going forward, there were far too few chances created last term which is where Arnautovic, who created more than both Robert Snodgrass and Michail Antonio last term, comes in. Need someone to put those chances away? Hernandez has one of the best goals per minute ratio in Premier League history.

In one summer, then, it would seem that the Hammers owners and management have remedied almost all of their fans’ issues and gripes. Of course, there is a lot of work to take the facts on paper to the pitch, however, there are few managers in the Premier League as determined and driven as Bilic and few fan bases as passionate as the Hammers.

While there are no guarantees the club are in the best position to qualify for Europe than they have been in recent memory.

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