West Ham United

Holly Turbutt
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

As the Championship season kicks off, all eyes are on West Ham as we wait to see whether we can live up to expectations.

For West Ham, the ambition is clear. We have one season to get back into the Premier League, otherwise we risk losing our best players and dropping into the depths of the Championship.

We're fortunate to have convinced quite a few of our key players to remain for one more season in a bid to gain promotion.

But with this positive news, there are high expectations around how we will perform.

I'm sure I speak on behalf of a lot of West Ham fans when I say I don't have as much confidence in ourselves as a lot of the media does.

We've seen that it doesn't matter how good a team is if you're not able to get results and points. Now, we're on a mission to turn this around and work our way back into the Premier League.

The pressure is on to start well, which is something that we're not typically known for, but there has to be a first time for everything, so I'm remaining positive until proven otherwise.

Looking at realistic expectations, I'm ignoring my dream of finishing in the automatic promotion spots and saying we can expect a finish of somewhere around fifth.

Given our number of outgoing players, our squad feels depleted at the moment, which will no doubt be a challenge over 46 games unless we can strengthen significantly before the end of the window.

In terms of level, the Portsmouth game gave us a glimpse of what we can expect against a Championship side.

Conceding first we quickly saw that we can be hurt, but managed to come back from behind to win 3-1.

For a first proper run out, it felt like a decent result, but also reminded us that we will need to work for every point this campaign.

For the first time in a very long time, I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised and see West Ham go on an unbeaten run at the start of the season.

Am I setting my hopes too high? Most likely, but you have to dream.

Find more from Holly Turbutt at West Ham Network, external

Two relegated clubs will go head-to-head to open up their returns to the Championship as Burnley welcome West Ham United on Sunday (16:00 BST).

The Clarets will be under the guidance of new head coach Nicky Hayen as they look to get a third successive promotion to the top flight this season.

While for the Hammers, the headlines remain on off-field issues.

• Since a run of three successive league wins between December 2018 and July 2020, Burnley are winless in each of their last eight league encounters with West Ham United (D3 L5).

• West Ham United have won on three of their last four league visits to Burnley (D1), including a 2-0 victory in the Premier League last season, one of only four away victories.

• Since a 1-2 defeat to QPR in April 2023, Burnley are unbeaten in their last 24 EFL Championship matches at Turf Moor (W15 D9).

• While Burnley picked up fewer home points in the Premier League last season than any other side (13), only Leeds United (15), Burnley (9) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (6) accrued fewer on the road than West Ham (17).

• West Ham's Jarrod Bowen was one of six players in the Premier League last season to record at least 20 goal involvements (9 goals, 11 assists), with only Bruno Fernandes (21) and Rayan Cherki (12) providing more assists

West Ham are confident of agreeing a deal with Celtic to sign £20m-rated Belgium midfielder Arne Engels, 22. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Friday's gossip column here.

The new EFL season is back and so is the 72+ podcast.

Aaron Paul is joined by Andy Woodman, Luke Chambers and Lyle Taylor to preview all three divisions on our new 72+ feed, looking at who are the promotion contenders, relegated giants and dark horses.

Salford City manager Peter Cklamovski also discusses his journey from Australia and Asia to English football, working with Ange Postecoglou and the pressure of taking charge of one of League Two's promotion favourites.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

The 72+ podcast has a new home - click here to subscribe

Matthew Cresswell
BBC Sport England

Image source, Watford FC

Former West Ham United striker Michail Antonio is currently training with Watford before the start of the Hornets' Championship campaign.

The 36-year-old made his final senior appearance for the Hammers in their 3-1 defeat by Leicester City on 3 December 2024, suffering a broken leg four days later in a car crash.

After being released by the Hammers in June 2025 following a 10-year spell, Antonio returned to the club as part of his rehabilitation and played two games for the under-21 side in Premier League 2.

He trained with Leicester City last December and had also been close to a move to Brentford but sustained a torn calf muscle the day before he was set to sign for the Bees, which scuppered the deal.

Antonio last played in April for Qatari side Al-Sailiya and made a total of four appearances for the club.

Prior to his move to West Ham in September 2015, Antonio played in the EFL for clubs including Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest.

The 72+ podcast is BACK and it's got a brand new home.

Follow along as Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff dive into the biggest stories across the EFL, with expert analysis, exclusive guests and the moments everyone is talking about.

A new episode drops on Tuesday night so make sure not to miss it by clicking subscribe on the new 72+: The EFL Podcast BBC Sounds page here.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham and Arsenal are in talks about a potential move for winger Reiss Nelson.

Both a loan move and a permanent departure are being discussed and the 26-year-old is into the last year of his contract at Arsenal.

Nelson has spent the last two seasons on loan at Fulham and Brentford and is not in manager Mikel Arteta's plans for this season.

The winger was an unused substitute in Arsenal's 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund in their friendly on Sunday.

West Ham are looking to strengthen their squad as they look to get out of the Championship at the first time of asking but it remains to be seen if Nelson can be convinced to drop down to that division.

Jamie Vardy could make a sensational return to English football as Championship side West Ham are considering a move for the 39-year-old former Leicester City and England striker, who is a free agent after his contract at Italian side Cremonese ended. (Sun, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip column here.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham are hoping to confirm the signing of Tottenham's Manor Soloman in the next 24 hours for a fee of around £5m.

The Israel international joined Spurs in 2023 and has since spent time on loan at Leeds, Villarreal and Fiorentina.

Solomon made 19 appearances for Italian side Fiorentina on loan last season

It is anticipated the 27-year-old will wear the number 10 shirt.

West Ham are actively pursuing a number of transfer targets before their opening EFL Championship game at Burnley.

Earlier this month they signed experienced former Brighton defender Joel Veltman on a free transfer.

The Hammers are gearing up for their first season outside the top flight since 2011-12.

West Ham United have reached an agreement in principle to sign Israel winger Manor Solomon, 27, from Tottenham for £5m plus a further £2m in potential add-ons. (The Athletic - subscription required), external

West Ham and Wolves sent scouts to watch Colombian Real Betis midfielder Nelson Deossa, 26, in the Spanish La Liga side's 3-1 pre-season friendly win over Arsenal in Dublin. (Mundo Betis - in Spanish), external

West Ham, Wolves, Middlesbrough and Burnley are all battling for the signing of Welsh ex-Leicester City midfielder Jordan James, 22, from French side Rennes. (Alan Nixon - subscription required), external

For more EFL transfer news and rumours, read Monday's full gossip column here.

Don't forget to tap the 'follow' button at the top of this page to stay up to date with your club's latest news.

Image source, Getty Images

Can't get enough of your beloved Championship club? Fear not.

BBC Sport covers all 24 Championship sides with dedicated online and radio reporters at hand to tell the story from every angle.

Expect match reports, analysis, in-depth features, interviews, fan views, quizzes - the works.

We'll also have live text pages for every Championship match this season so you won't miss any of the action even when you're out of town.

Remember, the best way to get all of this content is to download the BBC Sport app and follow your favourite teams and sports using the My Sport tab.

Once you've set this up, you'll have quick access to those pages at the top of your Home tab and we'll be able to serve you better, more personalised, experiences in future.

And when following your Championship team, from the start of the 2026-27 season you'll also get Live Notifications which gives you score updates directly on your phone's lock screen during a match.