West Ham United's disenchanting conclusion to life under David Moyes left a sense of foreboding that the halcyon days were gone. Goodbye, sweet, sweet, success; hello, gloomy unknown.
But wait, technical director Tim Steidten is worth his salt and appears to have hit the mark in appointing Julen Lopetegui as the club's new head coach, with the Spaniard, speaking in his first press conference, passionate and cogent in his assertion that the Hammers have plenty still to give, that he has inherited a talented squad.
And if West Ham flatter to deceive at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, it certainly won't be down to a lack of ambition. Winger Luis Guilherme, 18 and one of Brazil's brightest talents, has been signed from Palmeiras, Max Kilman has bolstered the backline and landing a new centre-forward remains a key point of consideration,
Oh, furthermore, West Ham continue to survey the market for another top-class winger, having centred on a former Premier League star.
West Ham lining up new winger
Caught Offside report that West Ham are interested in signing AFC Ajax's Steven Bergwijn, having prepared an official transfer offer of €20m (£17m).
The Eredivisie giants, despite strong relations with the Irons, will likely reject such an approach, holding out for a figure reaching €35m (£29m) to consider the versatile winger's sale.
Crystal Palace and French club Marseille are also weighing up bids, though with the 26-year-old keen on returning to the Premier League, the Hammers could be in business.
Why West Ham are interested in Steven Bergwijn
Once hailed for his "special" ability by former Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte, Bergwijn signed for the north London side in January 2020 for a fee of £25m, joining from PSV Eindhoven.
Despite scoring on a dream debut against Manchester City, Bergwijn only bagged eight goals in total after featuring 83 times for the Lilywhites, struggling to acclimatise during a turbulent point in Tottenham's modern history.
Since signing for Ajax, he has racked up 40 goal contributions from 76 matches, again stepping into a stormy atmosphere in the Netherlands capital.
Bergwijn has been plying his trade on the left wing for Ajax but he is competent across both flanks, as well as a more central attacking role.
And anyway, Ajax might have fallen by the wayside but the 5 foot 10 winger impressed. As per Sofascore, he scored 12 goals from 24 matches in the league last season, clinically missing only four big chances.
He also placed four assists, completing 87% of his passes and averaging 2.1 key passes per game. Moreover, he averaged 1.6 dribbles and 3.5 ball recoveries per match, speaking of his energy and electric presence on the flank.
There's no doubt that he's a highly talented player, and while he left Tottenham with a rueful shake of the head, the wily winger could make a marked impact on Lopetegui's more ball-heavy system than that of his London Stadium predecessor. Bergwijn could be the perfect fit.
How he'd slot in at the London Stadium
Lopetegui's system will likely see an upswing in possession, a change in the counter-attacking style that left West Ham ranked 15th in the Premier League for passes made last year and 16th the previous term.
Would it be fair to say that Moyes' imprint in east London stirred up a 'pragmatic' style of play? Such a term is often viewed with negative connotations but the Scotsman's brand, steeped in defensive solidity and coherence, saw three conquests on the continent, secured the Conference League trophy.
1.
Jarrod Bowen
44
20
2.
Mohammed Kudus
45
14
3.
Tomas Soucek
52
10
4.
Lucas Paqueta
43
8
5.
Michail Antonio
32
7
5.
James Ward-Prowse
51
7
Bowen also managed to excel, proving to be a worthy talisman after his 20-goal haul, ending a 19-year hoodoo of United goalscorers failing to reach that mark in a single term.
Mohammed Kudus also thrived, with his lightning-rodded motions down the wing earning him acclaim following his transfer from Ajax – Bergwijn can now emulate.
The one-time Spurs star is fleet-footed, electric, but more contained in his snappy ball-carrying bursts, instead reliant on his technical acumen and sharp distribution.
To hammer the point home, or so to speak, he ranked among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Eredivisie last season for pass completion, the top 10% for progressive passes and the top 16% for shot-creating actions, as per FBref.
It was a rather dour year for football in Amsterdam, but Bergwijn's qualities still shone through, even if he didn't reach the same level of success from previous years.
West Ham might be targetting a striker but Bowen didn't do half bad up front last season, and he'll probably be called upon at No. 9 by Lopetegui, who has something of a nose for a shrewd solution.
Centre-forward
22
9
4
Right winger
21
11
6
With Bowen likely to retain his standing as one of West Ham's principal goalscorers, adding a dynamic phenom in Bergwijn could prove to be a masterstroke, fuelling the goalscoring success that is needed to fight at the top of the Premier League table.
Journalist John Cross has even praised Bergwijn for being a "big game monster", and West Ham could benefit greatly from that, sharpening their edge as they look to fire their way back into European competition.
Bergwijn didn't have the best of times at Tottenham in the past, but the talent is evident and there's no question that the Dutchman could reinvent himself at West Ham, especially if he forms a neat bond with Bowen.
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