2015-16 Premier League Season Preview: West Ham

​​Welcome to theScore's 2015-16 preview of West Ham United. Transfer dealings, lineup projections, and everything else you need to know about the club's upcoming campaign.

West Ham

Team Page - Roster - Schedule

West Ham's final Premier League season at Upton Park will be one in which the club looks to convert its punk-rock identity into a white-collar selfhood that is worthy of European football and a move to The Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The days of relegation battles and mid-table mediocrity should be a thing of the past, as West Ham will take the pitch with an impressive-looking blend of new acquisitions and familiar faces, the likes of which have injected optimism into a club whose supporters have grown accustomed to doom and gloom in recent years.

Leading the revolution will be manager and rock star Slaven Bilic, who was appointed as manager on a three-year contract in June.

Seemingly an ideal fit for a club like West Ham, Bilic will be tasked with getting the most out of newcomers such as Dimitri Payet, Pedro Obiang, and Angelo Ogbonna, while continuing the growth of players like Cheikhou Kouyate, Diafra Sakho, and Enner Valencia.

Make no mistake about it: Regardless of how the season unfolds, it will be one of West Ham's most exciting campaigns in a long time.

2014-15 Season

Trophies Won: None

It all started so well.

By the time November rolled around, West Ham was sitting fourth in the Premier League table courtesy of five wins through its first nine fixtures, including victories over both Liverpool and Manchester City. The good times continued until the end of the calendar year, too, as the club went undefeated through five matches between late November and late December.

Sam Allardyce was bewilderingly being praised for his tactics, and it looked as though West Ham was a realistic contender for a Champions League berth.

Enter 2015.

Beginning on New Year's Day, West Ham started producing performances that were shadows of the displays that had been assembled in the first half of the season, and the club went on to win only three games throughout the remainder of the campaign.

Key Arrivals

• Carl Jenkinson (season-long loan from Arsenal)
• Manuel Lanzini (season-long loan from Al Jazira)
• Pedro Obiang (from Sampdoria)
• Angelo Ogbonna (from Juventus)
• Dimitri Payet (from Olympique Marseille)
• Darren Randolph (on a free transfer)
• Martin Samuelsen (from Manchester City)

There is arguably no club that has radicalised its squad in the summer transfer window quite like West Ham.

Scoring was the issue plaguing West Ham in the second half of last season, and it was largely because of a lack of service in front of goal. Such issues should no longer exist given the signings West Ham has made.

Payet and Obiang could prove to be two of the top signings of the summer and are capable of forming one of the most envy-inducing midfield partnerships in the Premier League.

Key Departures

• Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)
• Carlton Cole (released)

Spare a thought or two for Downing, who was a regular face in West Ham's squad last season but who was pushed out to make way for newcomers and signed with Middlesbrough in mid-July.

Cole was released by West Ham after nine years at the club, during which time he could never find the back of the net with the frequency that was required. Others players who departed Upton Park this summer include Guy Demel, Jamie Harney, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Paul McCallum, Dan Potts, Kieran Sadlier, and Blair Turgott.

Projected Starting Lineup (4-3-1-2)

Adrian; Carl Jenkinson, Angelo Ogbonna, James Tomkins, Aaron Cresswell; Cheikhou Kouyate, Manuel Lanzini, Pedro Obiang; Dimitri Payet; Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia

Just how Bilic utilises West Ham's new signings remains to be seen, and as a result, establishing the club's starting XI is no easy task.

Ruling out the potential return of Alex Song, who Bilic has reportedly not given up on signing on a permanent deal, West Ham should take the pitch in something along the lines of a 4-3-1-2 that involves Payet featuring as an attacking midfielder in front of Kouyate, Lanzini, and Obiang.

The flanks will once again be commanded by Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell, and Ogbonna is expected to compete with Winston Reid for the role of James Tomkins' partner in crime.

Complicating matters is the knee injury suffered by Valencia, whose possible absence could result in Sakho being deployed as a lone striker in order to make room for one of the many midfielders at Bilic's disposal.

Player To Watch: Dimitri Payet

Dimitri Payet crossed the English Channel this summer, as West Ham agreed to a reported fee of €15 million with Marseille for the 28-year-old attacking midfielder.

Through 36 Ligue 1 appearances last season, Payet notched seven goals and a league-leading 17 assists. He also led Ligue 1 in key passes per game (3.7), slicing open backlines on a weekly basis.

Payet holds the ability to single-handedly determine where West Ham will finish in the Premier League table.

Keep One Eye On: Diafra Sakho

Three Questions

1. Can West Ham maintain a consistent form that allows the club to compete for a Champions League place?
2. Will Bilic inject the creativity that Allardyce never could?
3. Can Payet dethrone Cesc Fabregas as the Premier League's assist king?

Trivial Matters

• Manager: Slaven Bilic
• Nickname: The Hammers
• Stadium: Upton Park (Capacity: 35,016)