Of the London sides to feature in the Premier League, few have endured such extreme highs and lows as West Ham. The Hammers have almost reached Champions League status as well as being relegated on several occasions. Despite having left Upton Park behind for the new London Olympic Stadium, The Hammers continue to enjoy a rabid following in the Premier League. So who are the best West Ham Premier League players ever? We’ve put together an XI.<\/p>\n
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GK: Lukasz Fabianski <\/strong><\/p>\n When Fabianski was at Arsenal, he was a joke to many football fans but the Fabianski who plays for West Ham is an entirely different player. Reliable, agile and smart in his decisions, the Polish shot-stopper has proven himself to be a worthy number one since moving there in 2018.<\/p>\n His consistency has earned him multiple plaudits including claiming Polish Footballer of the Year in 2018 as well has Hammer of the Year in 2019. Following on from a fifth place finished in 2020\/21, Fabianski\u2019s top form earned him the London Football Awards Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021 doubling down his remarkable improvement since moving back to London.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n RB: Julian Dicks <\/strong><\/p>\n Few people have earned adoration from West Ham fans quite like Julian Dicks. The versatile player could player on either side as a defender and midfielder and won plenty of plaudits for his no-nonsense attitude.<\/p>\n Alongside with the physical edge, he also had excellent ball control that made him a vital asset from set pieces. He played for West Ham for over a decade in two spells from 1988-1999. This versatility ended up seeing 4 Hammer of the Year awards \u2013 the last player to do that for the club. An amazing feat for someone who never earned an England cap but remains one of the best West Ham players ever.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LB: Aaron Cresswell<\/strong><\/p>\n After breaking through with Ipswich Town, Aaron Cresswell earned a shot at the big time with a move to West Ham in 2014. Since then, Cresswell has become an indispensable member of the West Ham squad. His pace and delivery make him a perennial threat down the left-hand side as well as having excellent stamina to track back all game long.<\/p>\n His impact was immediate for West Ham as he was named the club\u2019s Player of the Year and the Hammer of the Year in his debut season of 2014\/2015. He has also since became an England regular in his time and helped The Hammers reach continental competition after a sixth-place finish in the 2020-21 Premier League season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n CB: Rio Ferdinand <\/strong><\/p>\n Rio Ferdinand is regarded as one of England\u2019s greatest defenders and it was West Ham where he would first show off his potential. Making his professional debut for the club in 1995, Ferdinand\u2019s powerful physique yet good passing skill made him stand-out from his contemporaries. It was this consistency that helped him become the youngest England defender when he earned his first cap in 1997 against Cameroon and earned praised from all areas of the game.<\/p>\n His excellent form earned him West Ham\u2019s Hammer of the Year award in 1999 and helped The Hammers reach an all-time high Premier League finish of fifth a year later. It was in 2001 when Ferdinand left the club to join Leeds for a record fee of \u00a318m and go to forge a hugely successful career at the highest level. One of the best West Ham players ever and one of the greatest Premier League players of all time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n CB: Steve Potts <\/strong><\/p>\n Very few remain with clubs for the majority of their career but Steve Potts proved himself to be a Hammer to the end. Having debuted for West Ham in 1985, Potts\u2019 no-nonsense style helped form the spine of a side that was not afraid dish out punishment to his opponents. For the first decade of the Premier League, Potts was at the heart of the West Ham defence and captained the side from 1993-1996.<\/p>\n Over the course of his career, Potts played over 400 games for West Ham and was classed as Hammer of the Year in both 1993 and 1995. After retiring in 2002, Potts gained his coaching badge with The Hammers and has been heavily involved with West Ham\u2019s youth sides for much of the 2010s.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MF: Declan Rice<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n Very few recent West Ham players have encapsulated the potential that Declan Rice has shown in the past few years. Originally a centre-back, Rice\u2019s overall passing game and dribbling skills allowed him to venture further forward and become an excellent holding midfielder.<\/p>\n Matched with a strong physical presence on the ball and understanding of the game, Rice has become a leader on the pitch becoming vice-captain at just the age of 22. The England (and former Ireland) international has underlined his cult status at West Ham by being a 2x West Ham Young Player of the Year winner as well as their Player of the Season in 2020.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MF: Mark Noble<\/strong><\/p>\n Regardless of how some people have rated Mark Noble\u2019s skillset, the long-time West Ham midfielder has always delivered on the highest level and he deserves to be recognised of the best West Ham players ever, certainly during the Premier League era. Having been a mainstay with The Hammers since 2004, Noble has won fans and colleagues over with excellent passing and becoming a constant threat from all set pieces.<\/p>\n Noble\u2019s penalty taking ability has been some of the best anywhere in all of football having held a conversion rate of 90% – the second best in Europe throughout the 2010s (behind Robert Lewandowski!). With over 460 league matches and 57 goals for West Ham and 2X Player of the Year awards, it\u2019s only fitting that Noble is dubbed \u201cMr. West Ham\u201d by many in football circles.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MF: Frank Lampard<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n Before he led Chelsea\u2019s \u201cRussian Revolution\u201d on the Premier League, Frank Lampard could be found on the other side of London learning his craft with West Ham. Given his debut by his father and then- West Ham<\/a> coach Frank Lampard Sr in 1995, Lampard showed a knack for surging runs and linking attacking moves.<\/p>\n As his presence in attack grew, Lampard was regularly starting to score goals reaching a best of seven in 31 games in the 2000\/01 season and also debuted for England in 1999. With consistency growing, Chelsea swooped to sign Lampard in July 2001 signing him and ending his time in East London. The rest, they say, is history.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n FW: Joe Cole <\/strong><\/p>\n For much of his time with West Ham, Joe Cole was the definition of a baby-faced assassin. Able to play on either wing and both create and score goals, he was the perfect weapon to unleash on vulnerable defences. His breakthrough season was in 2000\/01 where he scored 5 goals in 30 games as well as earn his England debut.<\/p>\n From there, Cole continued to grow and won the 2002\/2003 West Ham Player of the Year award after scoring 4 goals in 36 games. It was then that West Ham would suffer a \u201cd\u00e9j\u00e0 vu\u201d moment as Chelsea once again swooped in and signed away Cole much like they did Frank Lampard a couple of years previously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n FW: Paolo Di Canio <\/strong><\/p>\n With his fiery temperament, relentless energy and thirst for goals, Paolo Di Canio was adored by the West Ham faithful at Upton Park. His surging runs and ball carrying skills made him West Ham\u2019s main attacking threat at the turn of the century after joining from Sheffield Wednesday in 1999. He was a powerhouse in his debut season scoring 16 goals in 30 games and claiming the 2000 Hammer of the Year award.<\/p>\n Furthermore, he gained the captain\u2019s armband in 2001 becoming the first foreign player to lead West Ham in the club\u2019s history. He remained a constant goal threat breaking double figures for the club for four more seasons before leaving for Charlton in 2003. With his larger than life personality, including his infamous refereee push<\/a>, Di Canio remains a cult favourite with The Hammers to the present day and is one of the best ever players to turn out for West Ham.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n