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            <p>David Moyes left West Ham at the end of last season - but how will they set up under new manager Julen Lopetegui and what are the Hammers' Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and wider fantasy prospects?</p>
<p>We take a look at their 2023/24 season stats and star players, predicted starting 11 and set-piece takers. There's also a dedicated section for Dream Team and Telegraph Fantasy Football fans.</p>
<p>Our in-depth look at the top three West Ham FPL players will be published nearer to the Gameweek 1 deadline - alongside all our other content - in our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips">Ultimate Guide to FPL</a>.</p>
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<h2>West Ham: At a glance</h2>
<p><strong>Manager: </strong>Julen Lopetegui</p>
<p><strong>2023/24 position: </strong>9th</p>
<p><strong>Top scorer: </strong>Jarrod Bowen (16)</p>
<p><strong>Top assists:</strong> Mohammed Kudus (9)</p>
<p><strong>Key transfers in: </strong>Maximilian Kilman, Luis Guilherme, Wes Foderingham, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug</p>
<p><strong>Key transfers out: </strong>Said Benrahma, Flynn Downes, Divin Mubama, Ben Johnson</p>
<div id="attachment_64753" style="width: 684px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-64753" class="size-full wp-image-64753" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Premier-League-table-2023-24-top.jpg" alt="The top of the 2023-24 Premier League table" width="674" height="553" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-64753" class="wp-caption-text">The top of the 2023-24 Premier League table</p>
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<h2>West Ham stats and best players</h2>
<p>West Ham ended the 2023/24 season in ninth place, eight points behind Manchester United in seventh.</p>
<p>It was a season to forget, with low points the 6-0 defeat to Arsenal and 5-0 losses against Chelsea and Fulham.</p>
<p>Outgoing manager David Moyes had built up a longstanding reputation as a defensively minded manager - but it was issues at the back which caused the Hammers problems.</p>
<p>They conceded 74 goals, the 17th worst figure in the league, with their expected goals conceded (xGC) barely better than their actual performance.</p>
<p>Only Luton and Sheffield United conceded more big chances and they kept just five clean sheets.</p>
<p>Their performance in this area of the pitch was a significant step down to the 2022/23 season, when the Hammers let in 19 fewer goals. Resolving this will be a top priority of their new manager.</p>
<p>Their defensive record was relegation worthy, however their goalscoring helped them to a top-half finish. Their 60 goals was the eighth-best total and ahead of their mid-table 53.15 expected goals (xG).</p>
<div id="attachment_64840" style="width: 288px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-64840" class="size-full wp-image-64840" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/West-Ham-season-stats.jpg" alt="West Ham's season stats" width="278" height="209" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-64840" class="wp-caption-text">West Ham's season stats</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>2023/24 season best players</h3>
<p><strong>Jarrod Bowen </strong>scored 16 goals and assisted six - five more goal involvements than new signing <strong>Mohammed Kudus</strong>, who had a promising debut season.</p>
<p>Moyes experimented with Bowen up front on occasion, when <strong>Michail Antonio </strong>was out injured. And while he performed well, it is likely Lopetegui will prefer to keep him in his more familiar position on the right-hand side.</p>
<p>Former Ajax star Kudus scored eight and assisted nine but both were significantly better returns than his expected data. He was much less of a focal point than Bowen, who registered 23 big chances to Kudus's six.</p>
<div id="attachment_64842" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-64842" class="size-full wp-image-64842" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Bowen-v-Kudus-2.jpg" alt="Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus's stats" width="900" height="731" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-64842" class="wp-caption-text">Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus's stats</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>James Ward-Prowse </strong>was another new signing who got off to a good start. He scored seven and assisted seven, joining <strong>Lucas Paqueta </strong>in posting at least 10 goal involvements.</p>
<p>Ward-Prowse was one of the Hammers' main creative players, setting up 12 big chances for his teammates.</p>
<p>Bowen and Paqueta, who trailed the former Southampton midfielder's expected assists (xA) total, also created 12 big chances.</p>
<p>Goalkeeper <strong>Alphonse Areola </strong>emerged as Moyes' number one ahead of <strong>Lukasz Fabianski</strong>. And although his lack of clean sheets impacted his fantasy potential, he often impressed with his performances.</p>
<p>The Frenchman made the third most saves in the league (138), picking up save points across the fantasy formats to provide value as a budget pick.</p>
<div id="attachment_64843" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-64843" class="size-large wp-image-64843" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/West-Ham-goal-involvements-1024x601.jpg" alt="West Ham goal involvements top 10" width="1024" height="601" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-64843" class="wp-caption-text">West Ham goal involvements top 10</p>
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<h2>How will West Ham play under Lopetegui?</h2>
<p>Lopetegui was most recently in charge of Wolves, who he left at the end of the 2022/23 season amid concerns over the club's spending power.</p>
<p>But West Ham are getting an experienced manager, with a career stretching back to 2003 and his 2020 Europa League victory with Sevilla among the highlights.</p>
<p>Before looking at his tactical history and stats, <a href="https://www.whufc.com/news/elite-head-coach-julen-lopetegui-profile">West Ham's profile</a> of their new head coach indicates what they believe Lopetegui will bring to East London.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"His clear but flexible philosophy lends itself to working in different leagues, with players from different backgrounds, and to moulding individuals into a team which can adapt to different opponents and game situations in both attack and defence.</p>
<p>"In attack, Lopetegui’s sides have most commonly been set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with ball-playing centre-backs split wide, marauding full-backs, a narrow, rotating midfield three willing to drop deep and collect the ball on the half-turn, wide attackers who find space between the lines, and a mobile hard-working centre-forward who can keep opposing defenders on the back foot.</p>
<p>"Out of possession, they like to press and play with intensity, before often dropping into a 4-1-4-1 shape in a mid-block, reducing space and cutting off passing lanes."</p>
</blockquote>
<div id="attachment_64844" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-64844" class="size-full wp-image-64844" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lopetegui.jpg" alt="Julen Lopetegui. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-64844" class="wp-caption-text">Julen Lopetegui. Picture by Getty Images</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>As the profile states, Lopetegui could opt for a 4-3-3 formation, although he has also used 4-2-3-1 in the past.</p>
<p>From a fantasy perspective, the use of attacking full-backs will be of particular interest.</p>
<p>But judging by his time at Wolves, fantasy fans should not expect the goals to flow freely.</p>
<p>Lopetegui is a manager who likes his teams to have plenty of possession. He will also be keen to ensure West Ham are solid at the back - and this could come at the expense of creating lots of chances.</p>
<p>His Wolves team scored 23 goals in 23 games, with only two clubs managing fewer goals in that time. They also had the worst xG in the league.</p>
<p>It was goalkeeper <strong>Jose Sa </strong>who was their best performer in FPL points terms, with midfield general <strong>Ruben Neves </strong>top assister and <strong>Daniel Podence </strong>top scoring with four.</p>
<div id="attachment_64845" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-64845" class="size-large wp-image-64845" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Premier-League-season-xGC-1024x601.jpg" alt="West Ham ranked third worst for expected goals conceded last season" width="1024" height="601" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-64845" class="wp-caption-text">West Ham ranked third worst for expected goals conceded last season</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Lopetegui's time at Sevilla further underlines his defensive approach.</p>
<p>In all three La Liga seasons, the Spanish side's goals conceded record was more impressive than their attacking data.</p>
<p>They conceded the fewest goals (30) in 2021/22 and ranked third best in the previous two campaigns. Their goals scored total was never better than fifth.</p>
<p>Lopetegui therefore looks like the man to improve West Ham's frailty at the back, however those expecting big boosts from their forward line may be disappointed.</p>
<p>Much could depend on the signings the Hammers make though, which we will explore in the next section.</p>
<h2>West Ham predicted lineup for FPL Gameweek 1</h2>
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West Ham FPL and fantasy football tips: Predicted lineup and style of play under Lopetegui

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