West Ham United were not afraid to splash the cash during the summer transfer window, with seven fresh faces coming through the door and Jean-Clair Todibo’s loan switch being made permanent, but they have found themselves in a relegation dogfight after not all the recruits have hit the ground running at the London Stadium.

A lack of form in the early stages of the Premier League campaign resulted in Graham Potter being sacked and Nuno Espirito Santo joining the Hammers as their new head coach in September, meaning that there has already been an alteration in the dugout since each of the acquisitions agreed to embark on a fresh challenge.

With another opportunity to bolster their squad just around the corner in January, GIVEMESPORT has run the rule over West Ham’s summer signings, ranking them from best to worst.

El Hadji Malick Diouf

El Hadji Malick Diouf has quickly adjusted to the rigours of the Premier League and it already looks like the £19million fee it took for West Ham to sign him from Slavia Prague was a bargain. Following the summer departures of Emerson Palmieri and Aaron Cresswell, he had a chance to make the left-back slot his own. He has grasped that opportunity with both hands.

The Senegal international has already begun forging a productive partnership with Crysencio Summerville down the Hammers’ flank, which could go a long way towards steering them away from potentially dropping into the Championship, and he has been a threat when going forward.

Diouf has already registered three assists, with his cross to set up fellow summer arrival Callum Wilson in the win over Nottingham Forest in August being particularly pleasing on the eye, and it would not be a surprise if Premier League counterparts attempt to lure him away from the London Stadium in the coming years.

Mateus Fernandes

Mateus Fernandes did not come cheap, with West Ham having to agree a deal worth up to £42million with Southampton when then-boss Potter pinpointed him as a priority target, but he has already shown flashes of what he can do in a West Ham shirt and his performance against Burnley last weekend should result in him being one of the first names on the team sheet.

The Portuguese midfielder’s energetic performance, which saw him regularly winning possession and starting attacks against the Clarets, went down well within the Hammers’ fanbase and there is no reason why he will not be able to build on that display when the domestic campaign resumes after the international break.

Fernandes’ engine has resulted in West Ham being more solid in front of the backline from open play, which was desperately needed after they were being overrun in the early stages of the season, and he grabbed his first goal in the east Londoners’ colours during the narrow defeat to Leeds United last month.

Callum Wilson

Wilson’s arrival raised a few eyebrows following his departure from Newcastle United at the end of his contract as he was handed a deal worth an initial £50,000-per-week despite having a worrying injury record, but it appears to have been a smart piece of business from West Ham as he has filled in for the sidelined Niclas Fullkrug.

The 33-year-old has 90 Premier League goals to his name, with his latest coming in the Hammers’ victory over fellow strugglers Burnley last weekend, and his big-game experience may prove pivotal as Nuno aims to drag his side out of the sticky situation they have found themselves in and fight to maintain their top flight status.

Fullkrug’s time on the treatment table has resulted in Wilson being West Ham’s only senior striker. Although it took some time to win over his current boss, with him being overlooked for up-and-coming talent Callum Marshall against Arsenal and Brentford, the former Bournemouth marksman has already shown that he is capable of finding the back of the net in his new surroundings.

Kyle Walker-Peters

Like Wilson, Kyle Walker-Peters headed to east London as a free agent when he opted to walk away from Southampton following their relegation from the Premier League last term. The 28-year-old opted to join West Ham despite initially being on course to undergo a medical with Turkish heavyweights Besiktas and has been a shrewd signing.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man was brought to the Hammers because of his ability to feature on both sides of the backline, resulting in him being rewarded with a £55,000-per-week salary before bonuses, but he has taken his versatility to another level since Nuno was handed the managerial reins.

In each of West Ham’s last two fixtures, against Newcastle and Burnley, Walker-Peters came off the bench and was tasked with playing on the left-wing in an attempt to see the game out. He grabbed what proved to be the winner in the latter contest and, earlier in the season, moved ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order for the right-back slot. Signing him without parting with a transfer fee was a no-brainer.

Jean-Clair Todibo

West Ham had an obligation to buy Todibo for in the region of £33million when they retained their Premier League status and, following a slow start to the season which saw him have a reported bust-up with former chief Potter, he has started to show promise in the wins over Newcastle and Burnley.

The central defender’s first campaign at the London Stadium did not go to plan as injuries led to him struggling to nail down a starting berth for a prolonged period, while he also had a run-in with Julen Lopetegui when the Spaniard was at the helm, but there is hope that his upturn in form will continue after the international break.

Konstantinos Mavropanos’ injury has allowed Todibo to form a partnership with Max Kilman at the heart of the backline and, if West Ham are to climb out of the relegation zone, they need the pair to become more difficult for opponents to break down during a congested festive period in the coming weeks.

Soungoutou Magassa

Soungoutou Magassa was a late addition to the squad during the summer, joining from Ligue 1 giants Monaco in a deal worth more than £17million, but he has struggled to make a telling impact in his new surroundings despite Nuno also freezing out fellow central midfielder James Ward-Prowse since his appointment.

The Frenchman has been restricted to just one start following the alteration in the dugout, with that sole occasion coming in the draw against Everton in September, and he has been limited to 191 minutes of action across six Premier League appearances following his arrival in the capital.

Magassa is currently behind Fernandes, Freddie Potts and Tomas Soucek in the pecking order, while Andy Irving has also been handed more starts by Nuno, emphasising that he has struggled to win over the ex-Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach.

Igor Julio

Central defender Igor Julio, like Magassa, has been deprived of regular game time. That has resulted in him having little chance to make a name for himself in a West Ham shirt, meaning that it is difficult to have him near the top of this list of West Ham’s best signings during the summer.

The Brazilian snubbed the opportunity to complete a loan move to Crystal Palace when the Hammers came calling in the final hours of the transfer window, which went down well within the fanbase, but he has been unable to prove to Nuno that he deserves to be ahead of Todibo or Kilman in the pecking order after arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Igor has only been afforded 32 minutes of Premier League action – thanks to coming off the bench against Everton, Newcastle and Burnley – and he is still waiting to be rewarded with his first start since embarking on a fresh challenge away from his parent club.

Mads Hermansen

Mads Hermansen has to go down as West Ham’s worst signing of the summer. When he sealed a switch for close to £20million from Championship side Leicester City, he was handed the opportunity to make himself the first-choice option between the sticks, but errors have resulted in him being forced to watch the action from the sidelines.

The goalkeeper was not a safe pair of hands in the opening weeks of his Hammers career, with opponents taking advantage of his weakness from set pieces, and he was even described as ‘awful’ by Gary Lineker after picking the ball out of his own net three times on his debut against Sunderland.

Alphonse Areola, the shot-stopper he overtook in the pecking order, has made himself Nuno’s preferred option since Hermansen was dropped from the starting line-up. It would not be a surprise if it transpires that West Ham are already looking to find a buyer following his tough start to life at the London Stadium.

All statistics courtesy of Sofascore – correct as of 13/11/2025