West Ham United are at the end of an era, with the club confirming this week that David Moyes will leave by mutual consent when his contract expires this summer.
Julen Lopetegui is Moyes' cut-and-dried successor – albeit not officially announced yet – with the Scotsman having left the squad in a fantastic position to maintain the growth and promise of recent years – notably including three campaigns on the continent, with last year's Conference League conquest ending in silverware.
While the first team is blessed with some high-level quality, playmaker Lucas Paqueta has been linked with a £85m transfer to Manchester City. If only West Ham had prudently secured a replacement last summer, coming close to landing Cole Palmer.
West Ham's interest in Cole Palmer
Paqueta's move to Manchester City was only foiled due to the Brazilian's charges following an FA betting investigation, still unsettled, and while that fell through, perhaps the Hammers should have forged ahead with a deal for Palmer, who's enjoying a pretty decent breakout season.
Palmer transferred to Chelsea for an initial £40m fee last summer to take the Blues' spending under owner Todd Boehly past the £1bn mark, but sift through all the wayward signings at Stamford Bridge and find right here a bona fide diamond.
Palmer, aged 22, has scored 24 goals and added 13 assists across 42 matches for Chelsea and has been praised as "exceptionally talented" by presenter Gary Lineker for an incredible individual campaign.
1.
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
25
2.
Cole Palmer
Chelsea
21
3.
Alexander Isak
Newcastle United
20
4.
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
19
5.
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
18
5.
Dominic Solanke
Bournemouth
18
Given Palmer's sensational rise to prominence in his first campaign as a regular in the Premier League, West Ham could have found a new level of success altogether had he been signed, with Moyes revealing that a move was "close" and that he was in "regular contact with his agent" before the pieces fell out of place – likely due to Paqueta remaining in east London.
Palmer isn't the only player to have narrowly missed the flight so to speak, with Sporting Lisbon sharpshooter Viktor Gyokeres also coming close to linking up with Moyes' project last summer.
Imagine Cole Palmer & Viktor Gyokeres
The Sweden international's inclusion at centre-forward would almost certainly have handed Moyes the requisite tools to go that little bit further in the Premier League this season and ensconce themselves in a European-qualifying position.
Gyokeres completed a £20m transfer to Sporting CP – despite interest from the Hammers in 2023 – after an exemplary campaign in the Championship with Coventry City, reaching the play-off final and posting 22 goals and 12 assists.
He's transcended his previous form under Ruben Amorim, bagging 41 goals and 15 assists from 47 matches across domestic and continental competitions, with his first-rate performances as the attacking focal point all but securing the Liga Portugal title.
Analyst Ben Mattison has emphasised the severity of missing out on the 25-year-old, also describing him as "a powerhouse", with his elite athleticism, hold-up play and incisive movements making him the perfect style of striker for the Premier League and a robust outfit like West Ham.
With Michail Antonio out of contract this summer and Danny Ings reported to have been transfer-listed for just £6.5m, there's no doubt that Lopetegui is going to prioritise signing a shiny new forward this summer.
Gyokeres is valued at no less than £86m by his Portuguese outfit and, should he move, it would be to a team at the very forefront of the European game (with Arsenal and Chelsea among those intrigued), so the door might just be closed on this one.
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