Fabiański And Traoré Head Up Retained List

Prior to West Ham United’s trip to face Manchester United at Old Trafford towards the end of the 2024/25 campaign, it was announced that goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański, along with defenders Vladimír Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and striker Danny Ings would be leaving the club at the end of their contracts.

Well, it is that time of year again and the club have confirmed today that they will be saying goodbye to Fabiański once more, after former Head-Coach Graham Potter re-signed the Pole as cover for Mads Hermansen and Alphonse Areola.

As the Irons set themselves for what they hope will be an immediate promotion challenge after being relegated to the Sky Bet Championship, despite a 3-0 home win against newly-promoted Leeds United on the final day, current boss Nuno Espírito Santo will now have to rebuild his squad. He will also do this without the services of one of the men who he only signed back on 28 January, as Adama Traoré will also end his short second stint with his former boss, having only made a total of twelve appearances and not starting a Premier League match.

When the last transfer window closed on 2 February, the Hammers managed to pull off the loan signing of defender Axel Disasi from Chelsea and whilst he was a key component of the squad that took their battle to stay up to that encounter with Daniel Farke’s men, relegation means that the Frenchman will be returning to Stamford Bridge at the end of the month.

With this summer’s window due to get back into full swing on Monday, it is as yet unknown how much money the Portuguese would have available to him in order to strengthen the team but, it is expected that the squad will undergo a major overhaul with some players looking to continue their careers at the top level.

The East London outfit might have also been under another new manager for next season, as the hierarchy were split over Espírito Santo’s future. However, after two days of lengthy and detailed discussions, a mutual agreement was reached that there would not be a fourth incumbent occupying the hotseat in Stratford since the departure of David Moyes just over two years ago.

Then just days later, some positive news emerged from a source who is well connected to the Irons stating that club captain Jarrod Bowen was set to stay put. That news may come as a surprise to many, but it should please the ever-loyal fan base and it remains to be seen who will join the skipper when competitive action recommences at the start of August, as Espírito Santo looks as if he may have a blend of youth and experience available to him in the second tier as he prepares his new look team for a much longer league campaign then they have been used to for the past fourteen years.

A late move was sanctioned for youngster Emeka Adiele to join Dutch club FC Utrecht on a permanent basis four months ago and more Development Squad players are set for new challenges this time around, as Michael Forbes, Junior Robinson, Tyron Akpata, Daniel Rigge, David Chigwada and Thomas Wooster will soon be on the lookout for new clubs.

Forbes and Robinson have already spent time on loan during their time with West Ham. News also emerged that scholar Jonathan Unwin will also be leaving.

From the early days of Espírito Santo’s reign, one of his priorities was believed to be a new stopper and his words may finally become reality this time around with both Fabiański and Wooster going through the exit door.

Who knows what else will happen, as just hours before their Emirates FA Cup fifth-round tie against fellow Premier League side Brentford on 9 March, a report on Sky Sports News suggested that one of last summer’s acquisitions, Callum Wilson was set to sign a contract extension keeping him at the club for another year. It remains to be seen whether this speculation comes to anything, as five days after the end of the season, the same source suggested that the striker made it public on social media that the situation had changed.

All the events since the final whistle on May 24 point to an interesting summer ahead in the east of the capital. As always, fans will be kept up to date with all the very latest news.