Opposition analysed: West Ham United

Everton continue their pre-season campaign on Wednesday night against West Ham United in the Premier League Summer Series.

Both sides lost their opening fixture of the pre-season showcase and will be keen to make amends at Soldier Field, Chicago. Kick-off is 11:30pm BST.

Ahead of the clash, we’ve looked at the Blues’ opposition.

West Ham - Opposition analysis

Overview

West Ham started their pre-season campaign with a 3-1 win over Swiss side Grasshoppers earlier this month, with Andy Irving, Callum Marshall and Lucas Paqueta all on target. That win was followed by defeat in their first fixture of the Summer Series, as a Bruno Fernandes double handed Manchester United a 2-1 victory.

Graham Potter is bidding to revive West Ham’s fortunes after a disappointing 2024/25 campaign. After recent seasons spent as regulars in Europe, the Hammers sank to a 14th-place finish in the Premier League last term, five points behind Everton. Ex-Brighton boss Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui after a short-lived reign but had mixed results.

A poor campaign has been followed by a frustrating summer in the transfer market. The club’s board have insisted it is a sell-to-buy policy at the London Stadium in the current window, with Mohammed Kudus departing for London rivals Tottenham in a £55m deal. 

Left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf has arrived from Slavia Prague for £19m, alongside the free transfer addition of the previously Everton-linked Kyle Walker-Peters. Jean-Clair Todibo’s loan from Nice was obligatorily made permanent after West Ham avoided relegation.

Strengths

The statistics do not make for positive reading when it comes to West Ham in 2024/25. The East Londoners languished in the lower reaches for the majority of the campaign after regressing following David Moyes’s exit. Graham Potter’s arrival did not inspire the uplift hoped, though there were silver linings in the underlying data.

Having ranked 15th in the Premier League under Lopetegui when it came to chance conversion (-6.37 xG), the Hammers rose to fourth in the period following Potter’s appointment (+1.77 xG). Chances, however, were still at a premium and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. 

West Ham also averaged the second-highest number of dribbles per game (9.1), behind only Manchester City. However, the exit of Kudus, who completed more take-ons than any other Premier League player over the last two seasons, will diminish that threat.

Weaknesses

Where to start after last season’s struggles? An ageing and often ponderous midfielder will welcome Edson Alvarez back this evening, with the Mexican having won the Golden Ball at this summer’s Gold Cup.

The Hammers have struggled to score goals, with only the Blues and Manchester United scoring less last season among the surviving sides. The club’s well-documented issues in finding a reliable forward continue, though there is optimism that Niclas Fullkrug can find his feet after an injury-hit debut campaign.

Outside the relegated sides, West Ham averaged the joint-fewest shots on target per game (3.8) in the Premier League last season, alongside Everton.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a predictable bias to West Ham’s attacking avenues. 40% of the club’s attacks come down the right-hand side, where captain Jarrod Bowen is often the biggest threat. Only Arsenal - who have Bukayo Saka in the same position - have a greater bias for attacks down the right flank (43%).

Everton, somewhat surprisingly, are also 40% for the same metric despite Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom’s unconvincing displays last season.

Everton-West Ham connections

The most obvious connection will be in the dugout, as David Moyes takes on his former team tonight. Moyes had two spells in charge of West Ham, with the latter culminating in Europa Conference League success. That trophy made the Scot the first West Ham manager to win a major trophy in 43 years.

In the Premier League era, 21 players have represented both clubs, according to fbref.com. The most notable include Tony Cottee, Don Hutchinson, David Unsworth, Kurt Zouma and Slaven Bilic.

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