Presuming Mateus Fernandes, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Crysencio Summerville and most certainly Axel Disasi will not be returning to the London Stadium, what will West Ham United’s line-up look like when the 2025/26 Championship season kicks off?
Now, any attempts at predicting a starting XI for this coming August are highly hypothetical.
Our very own prospective XI does not factor in new signings, nor as-yet unforeseen departures. Or, for that matter, the identity of a new West Ham United head coach.
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But as captain Jarrod Bowen raises hopes and threatens to grow his already sizeable legend, as Tomas Soucek seemingly chains himself to the gates and as a host of talented youngsters wait in the wings, we have done our very best at creating what could – could, mind you – be West Ham’s team sheet upon the occasion of their first second-tier outing since 2011.
Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen could stay at West Ham United
We are operating under the assumption that Fernandes, Summerville and Diouf will headline this summer’s departures.
West Ham will obviously not be signing Axel Disasi on a permanent basis now either, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Callum Wilson, Adama Traore, Taty Castellanos and Jean-Clair Todibo may also be heading for the exit.
On the other side of the coin, we feel that Dinos Mavropanos – the newly-crowned Hammer of the Year – may be tempted to take a leaf out of Soucek’s book. Maybe that of Bowen, too.
Mavropanos does not seem like the type to flee from a sinking ship.
Hammers News were told recently that speculation linking Mavropanos with Borussia Dortmund was more agent-driven than anything else. Should Mavropanos, Soucek and Bowen stick around – plus Mads Hermansen between the posts – West Ham would go into next season with a spine several notches above even their strongest Championship rivals.
Freddie Potts fell out of favour under Nuno but excelled at Portsmouth in the second-tier. Potts was named Pompey’s Young Player of the Year in 2024/25. Soungoutou Magassa should be better, too, with a full pre-season under his belt.
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Youngsters could benefit from Hammers’ Premier League exit
Mohamadou Kante, Ezra Mayers and Ollie Scarles would relish the chance to nail down a regular role in the XI.
Josh Ajala has been in ‘unplayable’ form with West Ham’s Under-21s since the turn of the year, meanwhile.
The Hammers pulled off something of a coup when they secured Ajala on a new deal a few months ago. The free-scoring 19-year-old is perhaps the next-gen forward closest to forcing his way into the senior reckoning, although Keiber Lamadrid would also hope to feature more often should the Hammers turn his short-term contract into a long-term arrangement.
Sources have told Hammers News that Scott Parker is an early frontrunner to replace Nuno if – as expected – the Portuguese is let go.
Parker jumped at the chance to hand James Ward-Prowse a January lifeline at Burnley, and a return to East London for the former could open up a second chance for the latter.
Lewis Orford, George Earthy, Finlay Herrick and Daniel Cummings are also among those who may fancy their chances of a big, breakout season.
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