Picking West Ham’s greatest ever Premier League XI

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West Ham United have certainly had their ups and downs during their time in the Premier League. However, between the stints in the Championship and European pushes, some top talents have emerged wearing the clubs famous claret and blue kit.

Next season Premier League winning manager Manuel Pellegrini has been given the opportunity to bring the good times back to East London, and he’s already making a storm in this summers transfer window, but would any of his new signings make it into West Ham’s greatest Premier League XI?

Here at The Boot Room, we have carefully selected the very best players over the Premier League era to have played for the Hammers and picked their greatest XI.

GK: Ludek Miklosko

Ludek Miklosko became a cult hero with West Ham fans after joining the side for £300,000, following the team’s relegation to the then Division 1.

Miklosko will largely be remembered, however, for all but ending Manchester United’s 1995 Premier League title push on the last day of the season; a heroic performance, from a heroic man and for that he gets the place between the sticks in this team.

DF: Rio Ferdinand

A product of West Ham’s academy, Rio Ferdinand is one of the best central defenders to ever come out of England, and he deservedly has his name in this greatest XI.

Ferdinand went onto captain England several times, as well as winning six Premier League titles, a Champions League and three League Cups during his time with Manchester United.

It’s a shame West Ham couldn’t have kept onto Ferdinand for longer, as he was one of the best talents the club has ever produced.

DF: Glen Johnson

Another product of the Hammers’ academy, during his time in the first team, Johnson was a terrific up and coming talent and made the right-back position his own.

Fans thought Johnson would be around for a while, however, after the club were relegated in 2003, the England international made a move to the newly vamped Chelsea.

Johnson went on to have a stellar career, winning a Premier League title with Chelsea, an FA Cup with Portsmouth and a League Cup with Liverpool.

Reports suggested last season that the Hammers were eyeing up a move to bring Johnson back to the club. However, it seems we won’t be seeing that move anytime soon.

DF: Julian Dicks

Known as “The Terminator” to many, Julian Dicks was a stellar left back for the Hammers, playing 315 times and scoring 64 times over two spells with the club.

Voted Hammer of the year four times, it was only right that we had Dicks cruising up and down our left flank and he’s the type of player you just don’t see anymore; an all-rounder who loved a right good tackle.

MF: Michael Carrick 

Another product of the West Ham academy, Carrick retired from the beautiful game last year, and now you can appreciate what a top player he was.

It’s rare you’ll find a midfielder with the passing prowess that Carrick possessed and his trophy cabinet is a testament to how good of a player he was.

Although overlooked in England’s “golden generation”, Carrick gets his spot in this Hammers’ greatest ever Premier League XI.

MF: Dimitri Payet

Payet will probably be the most offensive name in this XI. However, you can’t deny the guys talent and some of the magical things he did during his time at West Ham was a joy to watch.

It’s a shame he left the club in the way he did, but I think any Hammer would agree if this side ever got a free kick you’d want Payet in the team to bang it in.

MF: Joe Cole

Joe Cole came up through the ranks at West Ham, winning an FA Youth Cup along the way and some of the talent he showed at such an early age proved he’d be a great player for years to come.

Cole was handed the Hammers’ captain armband at the tender age of 21, and although things didn’t go exactly to plan after that, there’s no denying Cole’s ability.

MF: Frank Lampard

One of the best goalscoring midfielder’s England has ever seen, Lampard managed to rack up 294 goals from the centre of the park during his career, and it all started off for Frank at West Ham.

Lampard will go down as a great and has won just about everything you can as a player; three Premier League’s, one Champions League, four FA Cups, two League Cups and one Europa League; it’s hard to leave a player with that kind of pedigree out of your greatest XI, even if he did move to Chelsea.

ST: Paolo Di Canio

In the four years Di Canio spent at West Ham, the Italian treated fans to just about everything, and he rightfully deserves his spot in this greatest Premier League XI.

How could you forget the famous scissor-kick volley against Wimbledon in 2000? For that alone, we want him upfront in this team.

ST: Carlos Tevez

In his one season at Upton Park, the silky smooth Argentine single-handedly saved the Hammers’ from relegation to the Championship and became a cult hero in doing so.

Tevez went on to become one of the deadliest strikers in the world and won everything you can in England, Italy and Argentina, however, he’ll always be remembered by West Ham fans for his winner at Old Trafford that secured the team Premier League status for another season.

ST: Jermain Defoe

Defoe is a striker any team would love to have to spearhead their attack, and he has gone on to become one of the most deadly strikers the Premier League has ever seen, and it all started out for him at West Ham.

Defoe has gone on to score 162 Premier League goals, the seventh-most ever in the English top flight; we want him in our deadly front three.