Ian Wright thinks West Ham United are going to do something very surprising this season

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The 2024/25 Premier League season is upon us, and that means it’s time for pundits beloved and loathed to come out with their craziest predictions possible.

From Gary Neville tipping Tottenham for top-four to Rickie Lambert claiming Liverpool won’t challenge for the title, there’s been a wide array of opinions that are only going to get more extreme and loud as we edge closer to the start of the season.

One of the teams under the microscope for evaluation is West Ham, who Gabriel Agbonlahor has already predicted to disappoint under new manager Julen Lopetegui, even with the Irons spending close to £125m on new signings.

And Ian Wright now has a bold take on West Ham for the new campaign.

Wright predicts West Ham to qualify for Europe under Lopetegui

Speaking on Stick to Football, the Premier League legend made the bold prediction that West Ham will finish in a European qualifying spot next season, with Wright saying: “West Ham. Getting to Europe.”

With West Ham making some big signings this summer, there’s a real sense of optimism surrounding the east London club that they could return to Europe having spent two years playing on the continent under David Moyes.

Indeed, whilst Lopetegui is something of an unknown factor even having managed in the Premier League briefly with Wolves, West Ham could prove to be the ideal club for the Spaniard to really show his qualities as a coach.

And with the West Ham board backing Lopetegui with a huge amount of spending in the transfer market, there’s a lot to suggest that the Irons could be in with a chance of qualifying for Europe if they can go one better than their Premier League rivals.

West Ham have what it takes to return to Europe

With a top manager in Lopetegui at the helm and West Ham making a number of good signings with no major players leaving, the Irons have a lot to make a real statement in the Premier League this season.

Whilst a top-four finish seems unlikely, a UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League placement is more than possible, with West Ham having all the tools needed to return to Europe in 2025.

The new Premier League season is shaping up to be the most interesting one in some time, and for West Ham, they will want to make a statement by competing for Europe and finishing in the top-seven come next May.