Manuel Pellegrini has wasted little time improving his West Ham United squad this summer but he must address address a key issue which cost the club dear last term.
West Ham have spent nearly £100 million on a goalkeeper, three defenders and three attacking players so far.
The Chilean inherited the joint worst defence in the Premier League which conceded a staggering 68 goals, the same as relegated Stoke City.
Somehow West Ham managed to stay up despite that desperate figure.
But it is not only the structure of the side’s defensive displays which needs addressing but also their discipline in the box.
That’s because West Ham were victims of their own defensive errors last season, conceding seven penalties, the joint-most along with relegated Swansea.
Realistically the highest the Hammers could have finished was eighth or ninth so it did not stop them getting into Europe.
But it very nearly cost them their Premier League status only for a turnaround under David Moyes at Christmas which saw the Irons climb from second bottom to safety with two games to spare.
On the flip side the Hammers only won four penalties in the entirety of the 2017/18 season, middle of the table for that particular statistic.
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