West Ham United fans are itching to see the back of the September international break and see Julen Lopetegui's project hit its stride.
Technical director Tim Steidten certainly demonstrated financial ambition, spending in excess of £120m, but after two losses from three opening Premier League fixtures, there's plenty to work on.
Albeit, those defeats came in a hard-fought game against Aston Villa and, latterly, Manchester City, who were supercharged by the ridiculous ball-striking of Erling Haaland, but chequered form in the weeks to come would probably ignite concern.
Lopetegui wields some high-quality cogs, but what he would give to a linchpin in the mould of Declan Rice, who has now been gone for little over a year…
Why West Ham sold Declan Rice
West Ham sold Rice to Arsenal in a £105m transfer that was a record for both clubs. He had since through the ranks in east London after being picked up as a wandering youth, nurtured and guided toward the limelight.
Rice completed 245 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 15 goals and supplying 13 assists, and was promoted to official club captain following Mark Noble's retirement in 2022, though he had donned the armband numerous times before.
Club chairman David Sullivan confirmed before the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign that he would be sold, and while it was a bitter pill to swallow, watching him make the cross-London switch, the England international is one of the finest midfielders in the world and deserved his move to Arsenal, especially after helping West Ham to win the Conference League in his final appearance, defeating Fiorentina in the final.
He's since gone from strength to strength with the Gunners, failing to win any silverware beyond the FA Community Shield but proving to be a cardinal piece in Mikel Arteta's ongoing conquest against his former master, Pep Guardiola, fighting tooth and nail to end Manchester City's Premier League dynasty.
But do West Ham really rue his departure? Of course, watching a homegrown superstar ply their trade elsewhere is a bitter feeling, especially given that he scored during a 6-0 drubbing at the London Stadium last year, contributing toward the end of David Moyes' tenure.
But the £105m figure recouped was used wisely, invested across the pitch to refine a talented team. Indeed, Rice might have conquered the Conference League before leaving east London, but he was unable to help West Ham to a respectable finish in the Premier League, with patchy domestic form consigning the club to 14th place.
West Ham’s “unplayable” star could already have a bigger legacy than Rice
He’s one of the club’s modern greats…
