FIFA 22 West Ham Career Mode Guide: Starting lineup and who to sign

West Ham are in the Europa League group stages for the first time in their history, but can you maintain their assault on the Premier League’s top dogs in FIFA 22?

The Hammers are an ambitious club with a strong squad befitting of their new stadium, so now is the time to take them to the next level.

Our Career Mode guide should help you as you attempt to break into the elite clubs in the Premier League and bring Champions League football to East London.

Team Rating

West Ham has a 4.5-star rating in FIFA 22.

The breakdown of the ratings is as follows: ATT 79, MID 79, DEF 79.

Starting Lineup and Formation

David Moyes’ solid and reliable 4-2-3-1 formation should remain the foundation of your side, although a slightly more adventurous 4-3-3 could be a more aggressive option.

You are spoilt for choice in goal with two 82 OVR goalkeepers, but we prefer French international Alphonse Areola (OVR 82) between the sticks.

Vladimir Coufal (OVR 80) starts on the right of defence, with set-piece specialist Aaron Cresswell (OVR 79) the obvious choice at left-back.

Kurt Zouma (OVR 81) and experienced Italian Angelo Ogbonna (OVR 80) are the two players in favour right now, although Issa Diop is a younger option with decent potential.

The two midfielders are the best players in the side, with Declan Rice (OVR 82) and Tomas Soucek (OVR 82) the driving force behind this West Ham side.

The three behind the striker are all interchangeable, with Pablo Fornals (OVR 79) and Jarrod Bowen (OVR 78) providing great energy and Said Benrahma (OVR 77) the magic.

Powerful forward Michail Antonio (OVR 79) leads the line but will need a backup to be signed with West Ham’s busy fixture schedule.

Nikola Vlasic (OVR 80) is certainly someone who can push for a starting spot, while Manuel Lanzini (OVR 77), Andriy Yarmolenko (OVR 75), and Arthur Masuaku (OVR 77) provide exciting options from the bench.

Tactics and Instructions

The Irons have two full-backs who love to get forward, so setting your wingers to ‘Cut Inside’ should leave plenty of space for Coufal and Cresswell to bomb into.

Antonio will occupy even the best of defenders with his pace, strength, and work rate so set him to ‘Stay Forward’.

Rice and Soucek will get through loads of work in midfield, but make sure they are set to ‘Cover Centre’ or you could be left exposed.

We also love Soucek arriving in the box and making use of his aerial prowess, so tell him to ‘Get Forward’.

Whoever you pick in the CAM role, we advise to allow them ‘Free Roam’ so they can collect the ball all over the pitch and use their creativity as much as possible.

Development Plans

Andriy Yarmolenko could be worth shaping into a striker to offer some sort of backup or competition to Michail Antonio.

Other than that, West Ham’s squad is so flexible and versatile that it becomes a matter of personal preference.

There is not a great deal of pace available though, so you may want to include boosts to Acceleration and Sprint Speed in the more attacking players’ plans.

Transfer Market

Starting budget: £35 million

Who should go?

You don’t need four goalkeepers in the squad, so Darren Randolph and David Martin can both be let go.

Other than that, you will likely need the rest of your senior players for your packed fixture schedule, so we would recommend keeping them around.

The following youngsters can be sold as their potential rating is not high enough to challenge for a first-team spot:

Daniel Chesters, Harrison Ashby, Bernardo Rosa, Mesaque Dju, Ajibola Alese, Pierre Ekwah Elimby, Ossama Ashley

Loans

There are just two youngsters we would suggest sending out on loan, as we would keep Ben Johnson in the squad as he can play both RB and LB.

Armstrong Okoflex (POT 78) and 17-year-old Jamal Baptiste (POT 78) can both become decent squad players but are not quite ready for first-team action in FIFA 22.

There are several players already out on loan, and it is worth keeping tabs on all of their progress before deciding what to do with them when the loans end.

Ademipo Odubeko (POT 78) is a striker that could come in handy later in your save, so try and speed up his progression with some game time.

Who to sign?

Another striker. It is a miracle that David Moyes is doing as well as he is without a second striker in the entire squad.

Antonio is only a 79 OVR in FIFA 22, so you may want to bring in someone to start ahead of him, or at least challenge him for a place in the XI.

We have selected five players with 80+ Pace and good physical attributes to be the perfect replacement for the Jamaican.

Napoli’s Victor Osimhen (OVR 81) tops the list with 93 Sprint Speed and 84 Strength exciting attributes for a lone striker.

Transfer Options (ST)

West Ham is in need of an injection of youth and pace, so signing talented youngsters that can be useful off the bench is what we would go for.

These players are all 21 or younger, boast at least 85 Pace and have a potential rating of minimum 83 OVR.

They are in a range of positions too, with full-backs, wingers, and a striker all on show.

Red Bull Salzburg forward Karim Adeyemi (POT 72) is one of the most exciting teenagers around and his electric pace should be useful off the bench.

Transfer Options (Promising Speedsters)

Board Expectations

The good news is there are no critical priority objectives from the West Ham board, and the pressure on results is not that great either!

There is Medium priority on Domestic Success, and Low priority on Continental Success despite your squad being strong enough to compete on both fronts.

Brand Exposure is your most important objective, but that is usually hinged on transfer market dealings and will be straightforward to accomplish.

The 'Academy of Football' is well known for producing the likes of Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, and more recently Declan Rice, but your Youth Development is only Medium priority.

You are not on strict Financial targets either, with that also designated to Medium priority.