West Ham are set to hand new manager Manuel Pellegrini a £60million summer transfer kitty, according to the Times.
The newspaper claim that the Chilean, 64, will be backed in the transfer market and given the opportunity to reshape a squad that finished 13th in the recent domestic season.
The Times report Pellegrini wants to bring in five new players, including a full-back and midfielder.
OPINION
The big question is, will £60million be enough to transform a fairly mediocre squad into a decent one. Perhaps the best target for the Hammers is to climb into the top 10 and perhaps even the top eight, as they did in Slaven Bilic’s memorable first campaign. Certainly, Pellegrini will hope to match that feat if he is given the chance to bring in the players he wants. There are already a couple of gems at the London Stadium, most notably Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini, and key to the manager’s transfer plans will be the role he has in mind for those two. Arnautovic was outstanding in the second half of the season after being handed a new central role, which pushed more orthodox centre-forwards Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll down the pecking order. If Pellegrini envisages something similar for Arnautovic, he can sell Hernandez and use the money to bring in another direct attacker who can either support the Austria or challenge him for a starting spot.
