2018/19 squad confirmed

The summer transfer window has closed with West Ham United having made no less than TEN new signings.

West Ham were one of the Premier League's busiest clubs during the summer window, which closed at 5pm on Thursday afternoon, signing no less than ten players - nine for the first team and one, Alexandre Silva, for Terry Westley's Under 23 squad.

And in addition to the raft of new players arriving at the club West Ham will also boast a new manager in Manuel Pellegrini, who returns to England for the first time since leaving Manchester City in 2014.

All of which means that the club's first team squad for the 2018/19 season will look as follows (2017/18 first team regulars and new signings only included).


Goalkeepers

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13. Adrian San Miguel del Castillo (Age 31; Apps 145)
Entering his fifth season at the club, the Spaniard - who has already seen off the likes of Darren Randolph and Joe Hart - will fight it out with new signing Fabianski for the number one spot, despite being tipped to return to Spain during the summer transfer window.

NEW: Lucasz Fabianski (Age 33, Apps 0)
One of Pellegrini's ten new signings during the summer, the experienced Pole - who featured briefly for his nation at the World Cup Finals - arrived from relegated Swansea in June on a £7million deal.


Full Backs

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3. Aaron Cresswell (Age 28; Apps 157; Goals 5)
Signed from Championship side Ipswich Town in the summer of 2014, Cresswell has since gone on to represent his country and become West Ham's first choice left back, despite playing several games in central defence under David Moyes last season.

5. Pablo Zabaleta (Age 33; Apps 39)
Entering his second and final year at West Ham following a free transfer move from Manchester City in July 2017, the experienced full-back will vye with new signing Ryan Fredericks for the right back spot.

22. Sam Byram (Age 24; Apps 36, Gls 0)
Signed from Leeds United in 2016 for £3.7million, Byram has endured a stop/start career in east London having seen his time at the club interrupted constantly by injury. Now third-choice for the right back spot.

NEW: Ryan Fredericks (Age 25, Apps 0, Gls 0)
The Hammersmith-born full back - who has minimal experience of the Premier League having featured previously for Tottenham - joined West Ham on a free transfer from promoted Fulham in June.


Central Defenders

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2. Winston Reid (Age 30; Apps 222; Gls 10)
One of the club's longest-serving players, having initially signed in 2010, the New Zealand international is set to miss the start of the season through injury and will have a battle ahead to regain a first team spot following the arrival of fellow central defenders Balbuena and Diop during pre-season.

21. Angelo Ogbonna (Age 30; Apps 99; Gls 4)
Currently the club's most senior defender, Ogbonna resisted the temptation of returning to Serie A during the summer in order to extend his career with West Ham. An £8.5million signing three years ago, the Italian will also be hoping to win a place back in his national squad this coming season.

NEW: Fabian Balbuena (Age 26, Apps 0, Gls 0)
One of the club's many summer signings, 'The General' arrived in England for what was effectively a nominal fee for an established international defender in July. Signed from Brazilian giants Corinthians, Balbuena will be hoping to secure a regular spot in Pellegrini's starting XI during his first year at the club.

NEW: Issa Diop (Age 21, Apps 0, Gls 0)
West Ham signed Diop, a regular at international youth level for France, during the summer for what was briefly a club record fee of £22million. The youngster is initially expected to start behind the likes of Ogbonna and Balbuena in Pellegrini's pecking order.


Midfield

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10. Manuel Lanzini (Age 25; Apps 99; Gls 20)
Even though he'll be out of action until the start of 2019 at the earliest, after sustaining a freak training ground injury in his final session ahead of the World Cup Finals, Lanzini remains one of the club's most integral players and will be sorely missed during the opening half of the campaign.

14. Pedro Obiang (Age 26; Apps 87; Gls 3)
For some considerable time it looked as if he would be returning to Sampdoria in Italy, but Obiang rejected the overtures of his former club and opted instead to remain in England. A £4.3million signing three years ago, Obiang is contracted to West Ham until 2022.

16. Mark Noble (Age 31; Apps 435; Gls 51)
The club's longest-serving player, Canning Town-born Noble could become one of West Ham's top ten highest appearance makers by the end of the campaign. Still considered a vital cog in West Ham's midfield, he featured more than any other player during pre-season.

31. Edimilson Fernandes (Age 22; Apps 48; Gls 1)
Hotly tipped to move to Serie A as part of a swap deal for Colombian international midfielder Carlos Sanchez but appears to be staying at the club.

39. Josh Cullen (Age 22; Apps 9; Gls 0)
A make or break season for the Essex-born youngster, who will be 23 before the 2018/19 season ends. Likely to be employed as back-up to the likes of Noble and Wilshere for the forthcoming campaign.

41. Declan Rice (Age 19; Apps 32; Gls 0)
Having broken into the first team as a centre half last year, the Irish international - the youngest member of West Ham's first team squad - is being promoted to a defensive midfield role by Pellegrini for the coming season.

NEW: Jack Wilshere (Age 26; Apps 0; Gls 0)
Coming from a family of Hammers fans, it was perhaps inevitable that Wilshere would arrive at the club eventually. Signed on a free transfer, the midfielder will wear the number 19 shirt vacated by James Collins.

NEW: Carloz Sanchez (Age 32; Apps 0; Gls 0)
Although not announced until the deadline was about to pass, a move to sign the vastly-experienced former Aston Villa midfielder had been in the works for several weeks. Starred for Colombia at the World Cup where he earned the dubious honour of being the quickest player to be sent off in a Finals match (after just two minutes).


Wingers

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11. Robert Snodgrass (Age 30; Apps 15; Gls 0)
Widely expected to leave for pastures new during the summer, the Scottish international is a surprise inclusion in Pellegrini's squad having impressed the manager and his backroom staff during pre-season. Spent last season on loan at Aston Villa in the Championship.

28. Arthur Masuaku (Age 24; Apps 48; Gls 1)
Originally signed from Olympiakos as a defender two years ago this month, Masuaku is likely to continue as a wide midfielder under Pellegrini - a position in which he flourished during the 2017/18 campaign.

30. Michail Antonio (Age 28; Apps 90; Gls 21)
Despite being linked with the likes of Crystal Palace during pre-season, Antonio will begin the new campaign as a Hammer - his fourth season at the club since moving from Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day three years ago. Having recovered from the injury that sidelined him for much of last season, much is expected from Antonio this year.

NEW: Felipe Anderson (Age 25; Apps 0; Gls 0)
A club record signing at £34million + £8million in potential add-ons, the Brazilian winger will be hoping to get the fans on their feet when he brings his silky skills to Stratford. Has been allocated the number eight shirt vacated by Cheikhou Kouyate.

NEW: Andriy Yarmolenko (Age 28; Apps 0; Gls 0)
West Ham's second Ukrainian international, Yarmolenko moved to West Ham from Borussia Dortmund for £17.5million last month signing a four-year contract with United. Prior to joining the Bundesliga side in 2017 he had spent his entire career in his home country.


Forwards

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7. Marko Arnautovic (Age 29; Apps 35; Gls 11)
The club's current poster boy after his goals almost certainly saved West Ham from the spectre of relegation last season, Arnautovic will start the season as one of the team's front line forwards - despite initially joining (on Slaven Bilic's watch) as a winger.

9. Andy Carroll (Age 29; Apps 128; Gls 33)
Will we ever see him in a West Ham shirt again? Seemingly perennially injured since moving from Liverpool on a permanent basis in 2013, the former England international has managed just 135 appearances for the Hammers in six years and is out of contract next summer.

17. Javier Hernandez (Age 30; Apps 33; Gls 8)
It looked for all the world as if the Mexican international would be leaving West Ham in the summer having spent much of the 2017/18 campaign kicking his heels on the bench. However Pellegrini has experimented with a 442 formation in pre-season, giving hope to Hernandez for the season ahead.

NEW: Lucas Perez (Age 29; Apps 0; Gls 0)
A veritable steal at just £4million, Perez made the switch from north to east London on transfer deadline day having spent last season on loan at Deportivo where he created more goalscoring opportunities than any other player in La Liga bar Lionel Messi.


John Phillips: thoughts on the transfer window




Leading goalscorers

1. Mark Noble (51)
2. Andy Carroll (33)
3. Michail Antonio (21)
4. Manuel Lanzini (20)
5. Marko Arnautovic (11)


Leading appearance makers

1. Mark Noble (435)
2. Winston Reid (222)
3. Aaron Cresswell (157)
4. Adrian San Miguel del Castillo (145)
5. Andy Carroll (128)


Age breakdown

19: 1 (Rice)
20: n/a
21: Diop*
22: Cullen, Fernandes
23: n/a
24: Byram, Masuaku
25: Anderson*, Fredericks*, Lanzini
26: Balbuena*, Obiang, Wilshere*
27: n/a
28: Antonio, Cresswell, Yarmolenko*
29: Arnautovic, Carroll, Perez*
30: Hernandez, Ogbonna, Reid, Snodgrass
31: Adrian, Noble
32: Sanchez
33: Fabianski*, Zabaleta

* Indicates new signing for the 2018/19 season

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