West Ham 2018-19 Premier League Betting Odds
- To Win Title: +35000
- To Be Relegated: +825
- Point Total: 46.5 (Over -175/Under +145)
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The 2017-18 season did not treat West Ham very kindly. The Hammers found themselves in a bit of a relegation fight and finished outside the top 10 for the second season running.
Injuries played a big role in West Ham's downward trend, as key midfielders Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio missed a lot of time. Unfortunately, Lanzini is on the mend again after injuring his knee while training for the World Cup. It has been reported that he could miss the entire 2018-19 campaign; however, Lanzini has refuted that claim. Regardless, Lanzini looks to be sidelined for a heavy portion of the upcoming season.
The difference heading into this season is that West Ham have capable backups and there's a lot of new skill on the roster. The club spent a record fee for Lazio star Felipe Anderson, added former Arsenal man Jack Wilshere and signed Andriy Yarmolenko from Borussia Dortmund. All three have proven they can play at the top level. Wilshere, if he stays healthy, will serve as the playmaker in the middle, while Anderson and Yarmolenko will provide attacking flair out wide.
West Ham are also vastly improved in goal. Joe Hart is not a Premier League goalkeeper anymore (even though a lot of English pundits argue otherwise), and the Hammers gave up 10 more goals than they should have, according to expected goals.
West Ham bought Lukasz Fabianski from relegated Swansea to shore things up in net, and if you watched any of the Swans last season, you know things could have been a lot worse for them if it wasn't for the Polish keeper. According to Understat, Swansea allowed five fewer goals than expected goals suggest, which is a testament to Fabianski's form.
Bet to Watch
West Ham is in line for a decent uptick from last season thanks to the improvements they've made in the transfer window. Everybody is talking about the newly promoted Wolverhampton and Fulham, but I think West Ham are poised to make a big leap.
My favorite bet on the board currently is West Ham to finish in the top 10 at +115. Their current point line is set at 46.5. I think over is an OK bet, but if they get to 49 to 50 points — which is where I expect them to be — that should be good enough to finish in the top half, so you might as well take the extra value.
