West Ham’s summer spending leaves you with little wiggle room financially. Slaven Bilic’s side has had an overhaul over the last 12 months or so, meaning that Football Manager have restricted your budget. The two Davids will be more than happy to let you splash a little more of their cash should you have some success or, more immediately, sell on some of the surplus from the first team.
Your squad will already be stocked with attacking players and the reputable West Ham academy provides a steady conveyor belt of your own young, high potential talent. Should that not be enough for you to mount a challenge on the top four, then you’ll need to find a way to strengthen your squad.
Patience will be needed to find some good deals at the Irons, despite being in the Europa League, and you could be better off planning long-term and investing in some young talent to go with your homegrown starlets.
Luka Jovic
Jovic is edging his towards the standing of Football Manager legend.
A cheap wonderkid for the last few seasons, Jovic has pace, finishing and will often become one of the best forwards in the game.
The biggest concern with this gem is his injury record, that can undermine his improvement.
Youri Tielemans
Tielemans, to my experience so far, has not reached quite the same ludicrous heights that he did in FM16.
His work rate is a bit of a concern, but the Anderlecht youngster is still a worthy target. He has the quality to play both as a creative force from central midfield or as an enganche and is available for as little as £15million.
Vaclav Cerny
Cerny is available to loan from the first season and could be acquired on a permanent deal with an offer around £7.5million.
Considering his starting ability, which would make him a backup at West Ham, a structured fee is the best way to make a move for Cerny. His signing would be a good way to free up wages, should he replace one of the more established names, and gives a pacey, high potential winger capable of playing on either flank.
Alex Meret
With neither Randolph nor Adrian standing out, West Ham are in need of a goalkeeper if you are to take them to the promised land of the Champions League.
Out on loan in the first season, Alex Meret could be the answer come the summer of 2017. One of the best young stoppers on this edition of Football Manager, Meret’s determination just emphasises his quality.
Srdjan Babic
Babic may not look much from first glance, but the young defender can develop into one of the world’s best central defenders with the right game time and care.
Like Alex Meret, Babic is only available in summer 2017 and could be ready to slot into the Hammers’ squad by that point.
His mental stats – which can so easily be undervalued by FM players – are the key.
