Sutton's predictions: Fulham v West Hampublished at 10:20 14 September
10:20 14 September
Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.
For week four, he takes on Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi from jazz band Ezra Collective, the 2023 Mercury Music Prize winners.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
This is tricky. These kind of games are the reason I have been losing every week, because I really can't call them.
Fulham are bright and try to play good football, but West Ham are the same. The Hammers actually ran Manchester City pretty close before the international break, but still ended up losing.
There will be chances at both ends but I can't pick a winner, so I'm going to go with a draw.
In fact, the more I think about it the more this game has got a draw written all over it.
Femi's prediction: 2-1
I'm going to go with my heart - I want Fulham to win because of Emile Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi and Reiss Nelson. They have become like an Arsenal B team really.
Ife's prediction: 1-2
Fulham have got a good team and have made some decent additions, but I think West Ham will take this one.
Lopetegui warns Soler about adapting to Premier Leaguepublished at 08:58 14 September
08:58 14 September
Carlos Soler could make his West Ham debut against Fulham on Saturday after joining the club on loan from Paris St-Germain.
However, manager Julen Lopetegui has informed the midfielder that referees in England will let more fouls go compared with what he has been used to on the continent.
"There is a big difference,” said the Spaniard. "The rhythm is the biggest difference. The physical demand and the style too. I always say the same.
“The biggest difference about the rhythm is the referees. The referees in England - maybe it’s no foul, but in Spain it’s a yellow card. This changes the game, this changes the rhythm and we have to adapt.
“I like it, I like it a lot. But it’s true that we have to adapt and, for the players, it’s sometimes not easy to adapt to this pace or this rhythm - this demand.
“They need time to understand what happens around them. That’s why we try to help them.”
Over the international break, the Hammers boss has been pondering Jarrod Bowen's best position.
The England forward came on for Harry Kane against both the Republic of Ireland and Finland, filling in the central striking role. Lopetegui has so far used Bowen out wide in his first three matches in charge.
New signing Niclas Fullkrug is an injury doubt for the game against Fulham, while Michail Antonio may need time to recover from a long flight after international duty with Jamaica.
This could lead to Bowen starting as a striker to face Marco Silva's side.
When asked about Bowen's best position, Lopetegui said: "On the pitch."
He continued: "But it depends. He can play different positions - on the right, as a striker, number 10 too. Good players can always adapt. The smart players even more."
Summerville-Bowen-Kudus - is this how it should look?published at 08:45 13 September
08:45 13 September
Last week, we asked you to tell us one thing that was not being talked about at your club but really should be on the agenda.
Many of you mentioned West Ham's dilemma in the frontline as something that needed a deeper debate, so we got Holly Turbutt from West Ham Network to give her solution.
Gossip: Hammers interested in free agent Matippublished at 07:45 13 September
07:45 13 September
West Ham are interested in signing ex-Liverpool defender Joel Matip, 33, on a free transfer with the German-born Cameroon defender still without a club. (Ruhr24 - in German, external)
Lopetegui on fitness, Soler and needing defenders from the academypublished at 13:18 12 September
13:18 12 September
Henry Brownsey BBC Sport journalist
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On how his team is shaping up following the international break, Lopetegui said: "We are waiting for the last players. Until this afternoon, we are not going to have all of them. We will evaluate all of them and how they are."
Summer signing Niclas Fullkrug has "a little problem" sustained on duty with Germany. "Today we are going to see how he is and tomorrow we will make the last decision."
In more positive news, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola is "OK" and "recovered well," after being substituted at half-time in the loss to Manchester City.
The international break has been a chance to work with the players, but "unfortunately" a lot were away, so it "wasn't an easy time".
On new signing Carlos Soler: "He is a good player - a good age. He will help us because he can play in different positions. We've worked with him these past two weeks because he was without a normal pre-season."
He has mixed feelings about the transfer window: "We did the best that we could. We tried to improve the squad in different positions. At the deadline, we lost James [Ward-Prowse] but we signed Soler. We lost [Nayef] Aguerd and didn't sign a centre-back so that is why we have to look towards the academy players for this position."
On whether London derbies carry more importance than other games: "We have to face each match with the same importance. They are all going to be difficult matches for us and for the opponent. Right now, our focus and mind is on Fulham - they are a very balanced team, they work with the same coach and have a very clear style. We have to be ready."
Fulham v West Ham - did you know?published at 11:09 11 September
11:09 11 September
Fulham won both Premier League meetings with West Ham last season, by an aggregate score of 7-0. They have not won three consecutive league games against the Hammers since between October 1965 and October 1966.
However, West Ham have 16 victories in 28 Premier League games against the Whites - their best win-rate against any team they have faced at least five times in the competition (57%).
Does Bowen's cameo warrant more game time?published at 12:48 10 September
12:48 10 September
James Jones Fan writer
Jarrod Bowen enjoyed another very brief cameo for England on Saturday.
Coming on for Harry Kane in the 83rd minute, Bowen once again barely had any time to show the nation what he can do on the international stage. He's already proven it at club level, with 102 goal contributions (62 goals, 40 assists) in 206 first team appearances for West Ham since he signed in January 2020. That’s almost one goal contribution every two games.
On top of that, he was the fourth highest English goalscorer in the Premier League last season, with only Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins scoring more than Bowen during the 2023-2024 campaign. He scored the same amount of goals as Bukayo Saka (16), who is seemingly England's first choice right winger.
In the seven minutes he had on the pitch against Ireland on Saturday, Bowen had two shots on target, producing two good saves from Caoimhin Kelleher. Only Anthony Gordon had more shots on target during the game, and he had the pleasure of being on the pitch for 70 more minutes than Bowen. Saka, who played the full 90 minutes, had just one shot on target from three attempts.
If that kind of attacking intent from a very late substitute isn't enough to convince Lee Carsley that Bowen is deserving of more playing time at this level, I don't know what is.
Carsley wants a more attack minded, goal hungry England team and there aren't many more players who fit that mould than Bowen at this moment in time. If it wasn't for Kelleher, Bowen would've doubled England's lead over Ireland on his own in just seven minutes. Think what he could've done had he been on the pitch for longer?
This isn't a debate over whether Bowen is better than Saka, but surely he did enough in those seven minutes to warrant more time against Finland on Tuesday night?
How did West Ham's summer spending compare to others?published at 09:51 9 September
09:51 9 September
The Premier League’s summer transfer window saw clubs spend almost £2bn in all.
Data from Footballtransfers.com, external shows the biggest net spend by a club - that’s all the money spent minus all that came in from sales - was Brighton.
The Seagulls had a net spend of £153.5m.
On the flip side, the club who generated the biggest net summer profit on transfers was Manchester City, who made £115.8m, thanks in large part to the sale of Julian Alvarez.
West Ham had a net spend of £85.2m.
What is nobody is talking about at London Stadium?published at 11:22 7 September
11:22 7 September
We asked you to tell us one thing - good or bad - related to West Ham that nobody else is talking about.
Here are some of your replies:
Joe: Have West Ham failed to keep one of the brightest English prospects? With Divin Mubama being linked with the likes of Manchester City and other European giants, should there have been more effort made to keep him at the club? I saw him play for the under-21s against Southampton and he was such a handful. I fear West Ham might have let a future star go too easily.
Anthony: Despite an aging squad, with us having had one the highest average ages last season, there has been little investment in youth. Only two signings below the age of 25 and a concerning lack of players breaking through from the academy.
Ian: There appears to be a lot of difference in opinion on formation and where players should play - for example, Mohammed Kudus not on the left but on the right or centre. At the moment we don't have any injuries, which will no doubt change. The squad will be used throughout the season and all the players will get their chance to impress and play in different positions.
Colin: West ham need a new formation that gets the best out of Kudus and Niclas Fullkrug. Both are wasted at this time. use the diamond , or the 3-5-2. In both cases, Jarrod Bowen up front and Kudus either on the right or as an attacking 10.
Ray: We have not addressed our striker problem. Michail Antonio is getting on, and so are Danny Ings and Fullkrug. None of them will get the amount of goals we need to qualify for Europe. We would be better with Bowen in the middle, Kudus on the right, Crysencio Summerville on the left and Lucas Paqueta in behind them.
What is the one thing nobody is talking about?published at 12:08 6 September
12:08 6 September
There's always so much noise at the start of the season and 2024-25 has been no different.
Paul: Best squad in a very long time but they will need time to get the new system working. Feels like the team love the new system and will be better for more time together on the training ground and in match play. The mix of experience and youth is very good, it seems super Tim Steidten can really pull the strings now. It's a new beginning.
Carl: A much more positive outlook both tactically and in the transfer market. We really have some good players now and once they have gelled together with the manager's ideas I think top six is not out of reach!
Geoff: West Ham are going to struggle - too many new faces have to learn how they each work. New manager to make his mark but overall I feel West Ham are a long way from challenging for top half. Battling to avoid relegation - unless every player lifts their on-field performance.
Chris: I think we’ll finish between 10th and 14th position wise. We signed a few good players but we’re still short of a forward with pace. We should be dipping into the out of contract players not only for a centre half but for a forward.
Michael: Very mixed….Kilman looks a great signing and Summerville is promising. Can’t see the point of Rodriguez, no different from Alvarez and am not happy about Ward-Prowse leaving. That’s 10 goals a season let go. Fullkrug looks like a slower version of Danny Ings so Antonio will still be our main striker when he’s 46 probably.
Rob: In just three Premier League games under Lopetegui we can already see a change for the better in terms of creative play, passing and ball retention. Given the quality in the new look squad I’m sure this will soon produce more goals for and less against!
Hammers scour out-of-contract marketpublished at 17:05 4 September
17:05 4 September
Simon Stone Chief football news reporter
I attended a PFA organised pre-season training camp for out-of-contract players in Leicestershire last week, jotting down my thoughts in this article about free agents potentially being 'gold dust' for clubs.
It was a reminder that just because the transfer window has closed, it is still possible to sign players.
West Ham are one of the Premier League clubs who could get involved.
Nayef Aguerd's deadline day loan move to Real Sociedad and Kurt Zouma's departure for the Saudi Pro League left them with three central defenders, Maximilian Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
That is one short of the ideal number, so now technical director Tim Steidten is looking to see what is available in that particular market.
Former Liverpool star Joel Matip has been mentioned as one alternative.
Expect a new arrival to be in place before preparations begin in earnest for the trip to Fulham on 14 September.
How do you feel and what do you predict?published at 13:05 4 September
13:05 4 September
The dust has settled on the transfer window, the Premier League is well and truly back, and we are heading into the first international break of 2024-25.
So we want you to predict where West Ham will finish in the Premier League this season - thinking about their start to the campaign and summer transfer business.
Gossip: West Ham consider Hummels movepublished at 07:13 4 September
07:13 4 September
West Ham are considering a move for 35-year-old former Germany defender Mats Hummels, who is a free agent after leaving Borussia Dortmund. (Times - subscription required, external)
West Ham targeting free-agent centre-backpublished at 14:46 3 September
14:46 3 September
Nizaar Kinsella BBC Sport football news reporter
West Ham are understood to be in the market to sign a central defender on a free transfer in the next few weeks.
The Hammers have been linked with moves for Joel Matip and John Egan after they left Liverpool and Sheffield United respectively this summer.
The club has just three centre-backs available after revamping the squad in the transfer market after Julen Lopetegui replaced David Moyes as manager.
New signings Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo are the first-choice pairing, with just Konstantinos Mavropanos backing them up.
Although the transfer window is closed, free agents can still be signed after the 30 August deadline.
'We have reasons to be excited for what's to come'published at 12:40 3 September
12:40 3 September
James Jones Fan writer
There's no shame in losing to Manchester City. Especially this Manchester City, which is led by the most prolific striker in Premier League history.
But, much in the same way we saw a lot of things to be positive about in the previous two league games of the season, our 3-1 defeat to Pep Guardiola's side on Saturday evening gave us several more reasons to be excited for what's to come.
On paper, it's been a tough start to the season for West Ham. We've played two of last season's top four, one of those being the current Premier League champions, and had an away trip to a side that finished as the most in-form team at the end of last term. There will have been many predicting the Hammers to have zero points after three games.
Instead, we have three, and could've had more had we not conceded so late on at home to Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the season.
The fixtures aren't going to get much easier, either. We still have to play Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United before November, with difficult away trips to Fulham and Brentford in between.
But if we play like we did against Manchester City we can be relatively confident that good results will follow. That's because there were moments in the game that had West Ham causing City some problems. We hit the woodwork twice and forced Ederson into a couple of really good saves.
Against any other team in the Premier League the result may have been different on Saturday. As the squad continues to gel and get used to Julen Lopetegui's style, we'll only get better and stronger.
It might still be early days, but that's why I'm very excited to see how the rest of this season plays out.
Gossip: Hammers look at free agents Matip and Eganpublished at 07:26 3 September
07:26 3 September
West Ham are interested in 33-year-old former Liverpool defender Joel Matip and 31-year-old Republic of Ireland international and ex-Sheffield United player John Egan, as they look to the free-agent market for a new centre-back. (Sky Sports), external
Hammers 'will have a very decent season'published at 15:53 2 September
15:53 2 September
BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.
Stephen asked: Hi Phil, interested to know what you think about the early stages of Julen Lopetegui's reign and how they might get on this year? It feels like there are some positive signs starting to emerge despite the loss to Manchester City.
Phil replied: I’d say mixed, Stephen but that is only to be expected. They might have hoped to get more from the home game against Aston Villa but they were beaten by an outstanding side in Manchester City.
The win at Crystal Palace hinted at what they could become and things are just settling down. New manager in Julen Lopetegui and lots of new players. I think West Ham will have a very decent season.