West Ham's dream XI to face Burnley on Championship opening day - Bowen, Burrows, Peck | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at what the ideal starting lineup would be for West Ham's return to the Championship against Burnley

West Ham will play their first Championship match since the 2012 play-off final on August 16 when they travel to fellow recently relegated side, Burnley.

There's expected to be quite a bit of change at the London Stadium this summer in terms of playing personnel, with numerous players who still fancy themselves at the top level on the Hammers' books.

But West Ham have already shown this offseason that they plan to stand firm on player departures. Mateus Fernandes left for Tottenham Hotspur for the Hammers' initial £85 million price, and it looks like they'll receive no less than £40 million for Crysencio Summerville via his release clause, following a strong World Cup with the Netherlands.

So, with hefty fees being recouped for players, perhaps some of the current crop who are arguably too good for the level will stick around alongside some of the new arrivals, who will see West Ham as an attractive place to go play in the second tier.

With that being said, here's a dream starting eleven that Nuno Espirito Santo would love to have at the club ahead of their curtain-raiser at Turf Moor.

GK - Mads Hermansen

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Ideally, Nuno won't need to change his goalkeeper this summer, as not only has Mads Hermansen proven in the latter stages of last season that he could be a strong option in the Premier League, but he also has a good track record in the second tier, too.

The Danish shot-stopper kept 13 clean sheets in 44 games en route to winning the title with Leicester City in the 2023/24 campaign, and could easily better that tally and win another title next season at the London Stadium.

RB - Kyle Walker-Peters

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Nuno won the Championship back in the 2017/18 campaign with Wolves while using a five-back system, but in his past few jobs, he's switched to a four-back, and he may likely continue to do so next season.

At right-back is Kyle Walker-Peters, on the basis that Aaron Wan-Bissaka will likely be on his way out of the London Stadium, with the 28-year-old being one of the more defensively solid players in his position in the Premier League and one of the better players in the West Ham side last season.

Walker-Peters arguably won't have that similar demand this summer, given he's suffered relegation from the top-flight in the last two seasons, but he played a key part in getting Southampton back to the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign.

CB - Konstantinos Mavropanos

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The first of the more ambitious retentions at West Ham this summer — it would be a huge deal for the club if they were to keep Konstantinos Mavropanos at the London Stadium following a great end to last year.

The Greek centre-back played a big part in helping results improve under Nuno in the second half of the season and was a goal threat from set-pieces, too.

The 2026 Hammer of the Year has been linked with a move away to Germany, but if they can keep him, he'd be one of the first names on the team sheet.

CB - Harry Souttar

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It's expected that at least one new centre-back will form the back four at West Ham come August, with Axel Disasi back at Chelsea and Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman both unfavoured.

Harry Souttar will surely be one of the many departures from Leicester this summer, with the 27-year-old definitely not at fault for the Foxes' recent demise, as he played just two times last season after recovering from an Achilles injury.

He's shown at the World Cup with Australia that he's fully fit again now, though, playing every minute of the Group Stage and their eventual penalty elimination against Egypt in the Round of 32, so fitness issues shouldn't be a thing for potential suitors.

Wrexham are reportedly interested in him, but West Ham should beat them to the deal.

LB - Harrison Burrows

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West Ham may be braced for a departure for El Hadji Malick Diouf, and if he does go, then Harrison Burrows should definitely be on their radar to replace him.

Football League World exclusively reported that would definitely be the case, and with the 24-year-old being amongst the top attacking full-backs in the division in the past couple of seasons, he could really excel in a Nuno side.

CM - Sydie Peck

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While West Ham are swooping in for Burrows from Sheffield United, West Ham will definitely hope they can make it a double signing from Bramall Lane and take Sydie Peck down to the London Stadium, too.

Peck seems the most likely departure from the Blades this summer, given his age and potential, and the Hammers outlined him as one of their early transfer targets just weeks after the season ended.

Nuno's side may need to battle with the likes of Brentford and Nottingham Forest to win his signature, but if they can get the 21-year-old in ahead of Premier League outfits, it would be a massive statement of intent ahead of the Championship campaign starting.

CM - Freddie Potts

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West Ham may not be able to get all of their transfer business done in the next month ahead of their season opener at Burnley. If another midfield arrival doesn't materialise, local lad Freddie Potts would do a good job of plugging that gap.

The 22-year-old quickly fell out of favour under Nuno in the latter half of last season, but there's no doubting the quality that he showed in this division two years ago while on loan at Portsmouth.

CAM - Gustavo Sa

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It's unclear whether Pablo will stick around at the London Stadium after relegation, but even if he does, it's likely that he'll be left to play backup to Gustavo Sa, who has been linked with a £17 million move from Portuguese outfit Famalicao.

The 21-year-old has over 100 appearances in the top flight of Portugal and was club captain last season, providing brilliant leadership in what will be a young midfield trio on the opening day.

LW - Abdul Fatawu

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It's also unclear whether Nuno will opt to play with wingers or wide midfielders. With West Ham likely to be on top in most games, it'll likely be the former, and Abdul Fatawu seems a clear get on the left to replace Summerville, and the two sides are currently locked in negotiations.

Like Souttar, Leicester's relegation this past season can't be blamed on Fatawu, even if the Ghanaian did play all but two games. He still managed nine goals in the struggling side, and that, plus the fact he's 22, means an exit seems inevitable.

RW - Jarrod Bowen

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As the offseason goes on, West Ham fans remain even more optimistic that Jarrod Bowen could be staying at the London Stadium this summer, with the hefty fees they're recouping for other players loosening the demand to sell their captain.

The 29-year-old has 65 goals and 54 assists in the Premier League since making the switch from Hull City in January 2020, and has become one of the Hammers' modern-day legends following his Conference League-winning strike against Fiorentina in 2023.

All fingers would point to an exit, given his clear top-flight quality, but maybe, just maybe, he'd be open to staying for a year in the Championship, continuing his relationship with the club.