A summer of incomings, outgoings, and a familiar post-window uncertainty over how the forthcoming months will unfold for West Ham United.

The Championship side were one of the busiest clubs in the window, having struck 21 deals — 12 out, nine in — with the departures of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur and Crysencio Summerville to Al Hilal the most high-profile.

West Ham also retained club captain Jarrod Bowen, Taty Castellanos and Konstantinos Mavropanos, while Arne Engels, Manor Solomon, Joel Piroe and Divine Mukasa were their headline summer additions.

Having been winless in their first three league games, amid calls from fans for head coach Nuno Espirito Santo to be sacked, his side belatedly kickstarted their promotion ambitions with a 4-2 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday.

Following the closure of the window, The Athletic has reviewed West Ham’s summer recruitment to assess if it will be enough to boost their immediate return to the Premier League.

Was this window a success or a failure?

All things considered, the club could have recruited better.

In the wake of David Sullivan’s resignation as vice-chairman in June, amid “serious historic allegations” made against him — which he says are “factually incorrect and entirely false” — Daniel Kretinsky and Vanessa Gold, West Ham’s shareholders, insisted their goal was to “stabilise West Ham United, retain as many of our key players as possible and, under the management of Nuno Espirito Santo, secure an immediate return to the Premier League.”

But ongoing uncertainty over the ownership made it an unsettling window. There was a scattergun approach towards defensive targets and a shift from targeting permanent deals to loans. West Ham still look light in wide areas.

Will the head coach be happy?

In Nuno’s post-match interview after the 1-1 draw against Watford, he hinted that he felt his club could have acted quicker to pursue transfer targets.

“It was not perfect but understandable,” said Nuno. “We took some time. We were patient to try to choose our targets. It could have been faster (with signing our targets) but it is what it is. We have players coming in, so we are building. The more important thing is after the window closes. We take a look at how balanced and how strong we are to deal with the competition.”

He alluded to this once more after the win against Wolves.

“We, as a club, as a manager, we always want more,” he said. “But we’ve been patient to identify the right targets that come with purpose and character. The only thing is I would love to have them sooner, but I understand the circumstances and now we are catching up with the players that joined us one week ago. We will gel. We are positive.”

How much did West Ham spend and how much did they bring in?

West Ham spent in the region of £46m ($62.2m) on Engels, Solomon, Piroe, Mukasa, Edvin Austbo, Adama Boiro, Keiber Lamadrid and Joel Veltman.

The Athletic reported in May that the club needed to raise £150m ($202.9m) in player sales following their relegation. The club recouped over £200m ($270.6m) following the permanent exits of Fernandes, Summerville, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Freddie Potts, James Ward-Prowse, Callum Marshall and George Earthy.

West Ham sold Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur for £85million (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Who have they signed?

Engels joined from Scottish side Celtic for a fee in the region of £22million — a record buy for a Championship club — Solomon arrived for £5m from London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and in June, the club activated a £1m option to convert Lamadrid’s loan from Venezuelan side Deportivo La Guaira into a permanent deal.

Veltman arrived on a free transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion, Piroe on a loan with an obligation to buy from Leeds United, and Mukasa, Morato and Boiro joined on loans from Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Athletic Club respectively.

Were there any deals they wanted to do that they didn’t get over the line?

Despite the business done, this was still a frustrating window for West Ham.

Everton turned down their enquiry to sign defender Michael Keane on a permanent deal. The Championship club’s season-long loan offer for Roma left-back Anass Salah-Eddine failed to result in a switch to the London Stadium.

West Ham held an interest in Manchester United left-back Harry Amass, who remained at Old Trafford. Ryan Giles, of Hull City, and Melvin Bard, who joined Leeds United from Nice on loan, were also among the defensive targets.

Sheffield United midfielder Sydie Peck featured on West Ham’s shortlist but their interest never reached an advanced stage. Brighton & Hove Albion winger Amario Cozier-Duberry was an option before he joined Middlesbrough on loan. West Ham were also linked with former Spurs striker Troy Parrott before he completed his switch to La Liga side Real Betis from AZ.

West Ham had a bid for Everton defender Michael Keane knocked back (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Sanctioning outgoings proved equally difficult, with Edson Alvarez and Soungoutou Magassa staying despite wanting to leave. Sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, say West Ham intended to sell the trio of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Niclas Fullkrug and Jean-Clair Todibo, but had to settle with them joining Aston Villa, Werder Bremen and Lens on loan respectively. Todibo continued his stance that he would never play under Nuno again.

Academy graduate Ollie Scarles garnered some interest towards the end of the window. West Ham rejected Levante’s loan offer and permanent bids from Middlesbrough and Burnley for the 20-year-old, who could now be Nuno’s first-choice left-back following Diouf’s £40million ($54.4m) switch to Brentford, although Boiro offers competition for that position.

Maxwel Cornet, whose last competitive outing for West Ham was against Crystal Palace in April 2024, failed to attract interest.

Do they have the squad to achieve their goals for the season?

The lack of experienced understudies for wingers Solomon and Bowen could hinder West Ham. Lamadrid, Austbo and academy prospect Joshua Ajala are the likeliest options to replace the duo from the bench.

But Lamadrid has only made three appearances under Nuno, Austbo is a promising talent but untested in the Championship, and it is unclear if Ajala will continue his development with the under-21s despite his recent goals against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

Although West Ham remain porous defensively, the addition of Morato from Nottingham Forest should help strengthen their back line. The other options in central defence include Mavropanos, Maximilian Kilman and Airidas Golambeckis. Veltman is also capable of playing at centre-back. Central midfield is the strongest area of the squad and the club has good cover in both full-back positions.

What is their strongest XI now that the window is shut?

4-4-2: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles; Bowen (c), Engels, Mukasa, Solomon; Pablo, Castellanos

The full list of ins and outs

Incomings:

• Arne Engels (£22m/$29.7 from Celtic)
• Edvin Austbo (£18m/$24.3m from Viking)
• Manor Solomon (£5m/$6.7m from Tottenham Hotspur)
• Keiber Lamadrid (£1m/$1.3m from Deportivo La Guaira)
• Adama Boiro (season-long loan from Athletic Club)
• Morato (season-long loan from Nottingham Forest)
• Joel Piroe (season-long loan from Leeds United)
• Divine Mukasa (season-long loan from Manchester City)
• Joel Veltman (free transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion)

Outgoings:

• Mateus Fernandes (£85m/$112m to Tottenham Hotspur)
• Crysencio Summerville (€70m/£60m to Al Hilal)
• El Hadji Malick Diouf (£40m/54.4m to Brentford)
• Freddie Potts (£10m/$13.5m to Club Brugge)
• James Ward-Prowse (undisclosed fee to Southampton)
• Callum Marshall (undisclosed fee to Luton Town)
• George Earthy (undisclosed fee to Reading)
• Aaron Wan-Bissaka (season-long loan to Aston Villa)
• Niclas Fullkrug (season-long loan to Werder Bremen)
• Kaelan Casey (season-long loan to Stevenage Town)
• Callum Wilson (free transfer to Brentford)
• Adama Traore (free transfer to Deportivo La Coruna)

“We must continue to evolve, invest and innovate, while remaining true to the principles that have brought us this far,” owner-chairman Tony Bloom told fans in his programme notes last month before Brighton & Hove Albion launched their 10th Premier League season in succession with a 4-0 home win against Aston Villa.

That was certainly the case throughout a hectic summer transfer window involving a total of 33 changes to the playing staff and approximately £365million worth of trading.

Carlos Baleba made a £70m move to Manchester United — the second biggest fee received in Brighton’s history — while a club record £46m was paid for 19-year-old Croatian central defender Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham headed 11 new signings in a major overhaul of Fabian Hurzeler’s squad.

The feverish activity went to the wire, with the arrival on deadline day of defensive midfielder Chema Andres from Stuttgart and winger Femi Azeez from Millwall in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Eight players also left permanently or on loan on the last day of trading.

The Athletic takes a deep breath and unpacks what it all means.

Was this window a success or a failure?

A question that is difficult to answer, because so much of Brighton’s business nowadays is on a global scale. It is hard to evaluate beyond superficial showreels and country-specific data how successfully (and how soon) overseas signings will adapt to the challenges of playing in the Premier League and their new environment away from football.

Proof will not come not even by the end of the season, but over the next few seasons. How has each new signing worked out? Did the club get more deals right than wrong during this window?

On past evidence of their increasingly data-driven recruitment model, the verdict is more likely to end up as a tick than a cross.  

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How much did they spend and how much did they bring in?

These can only ever be ballpark figures, because of the tendency of buyers to want to show they have got a great deal (by excluding add-ons) and sellers to do the reverse (factoring in extras such as appearance-related bonuses and sell-ons).

The figure for incomings is around £170m, taking into account a £22m obligation to buy clause in the signing of Canadian international striker Promise David on loan for the season from Union Saint-Gilloise.

Promise David arrived on loan but with an obligation to buy (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Outgoings have raised in the region of £195m, so overall the club have still made a profit.

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Who have they signed?

The late moves of Nigerian international winger Azeez, for a package worth around £15m, and former Real Madrid prospect Andres (£15.5m) pushed the number of new arrivals into double figures.

The attacking options have been swelled by the signings of Azeez, Promise (as he prefers to be known) and 19-year-old Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna (£21.8m from Swedish side AIK).

The centre of defence has been refreshed after the £52m sale of Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham Hotspur. Vuskovic, Dutchman Pascal Struijk (an £18m package from Leeds United) and Austrian international Michael Svoboda (£4.3m from Italian Serie B outfit Venezia) have all joined.

The full-back choices have been widened by former Portugal youth international Costinha (£6m from Greek side Olympiacos) and Albania international Jaouen Hadjam (£9.5m from Young Boys in Switzerland).

Two youngsters have come and gone immediately on loan, both to Castellon in the Spanish second tier: former Benfica winger Rodrigo Rego (21) and 18-year-old Colombian midfielder Matias Orozco, who completed a £3.5m switch from Deportivo Cali in his home country on Sunday.

Winger Femi Azeez arrived from Millwall on deadline day (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

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Were there any deals they wanted to do that they didn’t get over the line?

Brighton have a list of four or five potential targets by position, sourced initially from Bloom’s worldwide databank. Hurzeler is then heavily involved in discussions on who he likes most. This is the way their recruitment works.

The aim is to land the head coach’s top preference. That will not always be the case. The lists are a closely guarded secret and Brighton are not a leaky club on transfers.

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Are there still any obvious gaps in the team?

Not after landing Andres, filling the need for a No 6 after Baleba’s exit, even though the latter’s form dipped last season and he was not a regular starter (or finisher) of games. That need became more acute when Mats Wieffer sustained a knee injury at Chelsea on Sunday, which will keep him out for an unspecified period. The Dutchman has been playing at right-back but offers cover in central midfield, where has played for much of his career.

Chema Andres has arrived to fill the gap left by Carlos Baleba (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite scoring 11 goals across the opening four games of this season, there remains a slight doubt about whether, over the course of the season, they have enough goal-power among the pool of strikers after Danny Welbeck’s move to Chelsea.

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Do they have the squad to achieve their goals for the season?

One of the main goals — not necessarily this season but in the near future — is to win major silverware for the first time. The squad is equipped for a deep run in the Conference League, although bookies making them clear favourites to lift the trophy in Turkey next June is too bullish with Monaco and Atalanta among the competition.

Their rotten luck with draws in domestic competitions continues with a third round visit to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup later this month — although they have a fine recent record at Old Trafford.

Balancing these ambitions with a top half finish in the Premier League after a sequence of 9th, 6th, 11th, 8th and 8th will be tough but achievable.

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Will the manager/head coach be happy?

You cannot base a head coach’s satisfaction levels on what they say in the public domain, unless, like Hurzeler’s predecessor Roberto De Zerbi, they are sometimes too honest for their own good. The Italian’s exit stemmed from differences over recruitment policy, which he hinted at in press conferences.

Hurzeler has lost the spine of the team he steered to European qualification last season — Van Hecke, Baleba, Welbeck — but he has enough confidence in his own ability to overcome that hurdle with a fresher and younger squad.

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What will their priority be in January?

Primarily not to lose somebody they do not want to sell midway through the season. They dislike the knee-jerk nature of the shorter winter window, so the majority of their business always takes place in the summer.

Yankuba Minteh’s situation could be one to watch after Liverpool bid for him this summer (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)

Yasin Ayari’s situation is one to watch. The Sweden international midfielder is out of contract next summer. Yankuba Minteh’s future is also at a delicate stage after rejected bids of £50m and £60m from Liverpool in this window for the Gambia international winger.

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Will they have money to spend?

Yes. Bloom is not shy about sanctioning spending when the need arises, within reason. Although Brighton sell big, in the £50m to £100m plus range, they do not buy at those levels. Why? Because players attracting fees of that scale will be on big money, which would disrupt the wage structure. Also, he will not pay above what he regards as reasonable value for a player.

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What is their strongest XI now the window is shut

Premier League: Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Vuskovic, Dunk, De Cuyper; Gross, Ayari; Minteh, Hinshelwood, Mitoma; Promise.

Conference League: Steele; Wieffer, Struijk, Boscagli, Hadjam; Andres, Yalcouye; Gomez, Rutter, Azeez; Kostoulas.

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The full list of ins and outs

Ins: Zadok Yohanna (AIK) £21.8m; Costinha (Olympiacos) £8m; Pascal Struijk (Leeds Utd) £18m package; Rodrigo Rego (Benfica) undisclosed; Luka Vuskovic (Tottenham) £46m; Michael Svoboda (Venezia) £4.3m; Promise David (Union Saint-Gilloise) season-long loan + £22m obligation to buy; Jaouen Hadjam (Young Boys) £9.5m; Matias Orozco (Deportivo Cali) £3.5m; Femi Azeez (Millwall) £15m+ package; Chema Andres (Stuttgart) £15.5m

Outs: James Milner (retired); Solly March (released); Adam Webster (released); Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham) £52m; Joel Veltman (West Ham) free;
Brajan Gruda (Red Bull Leipzig) loan with buy obligation; Diego Coppola (Paris FC) £15m; James Beadle (Birmingham) season-long loan; Rodrigo Rego (Castellon) season-long loan; Danny Welbeck (Chelsea) undisclosed; Tommy Watson (Leicester City) season-long loan; Facundo Buonanotte (Elche) season-long loan; Carl Rushworth (Coventry City) up to £30m; Harry Howell (Leicester) season-long loan; Carlos Baleba (Manchester United) up to £70m; Charlie Tasker (Rochdale) season-long loan; Caylan Vickers (Burton Albion) undisclosed; Igor Julio (Burnley) £3m plus add-ons; Matias Orozco (Casteallan) season-long loan; Freddie Simmonds (AFC Wimbledon) season-long loan; Amario Cozier-Duberry (Middlesbrough) season-long loan; Mark O’Mahony (Burton Albion) season-long loan; Kamari Doyle (Leicester) season-long loan; Josh Roberston (Fleetwood Town) season-long loan