West Ham United's journey under David Moyes' tutelage may draw to a close at the end of the campaign, with the Scottish manager's contract up for expiry.
It's been quite the ride, and there's no certainty surrounding Moyes' situation, but if he is to depart he will exit with European silverware, having lifted the Hammers to repeated campaigns on the continent.
It's clear that improvements are needed this summer, however, and whether Moyes stays or not, the defence needs a fresh face or two.
Captain Kurt Zouma and his partner Nayef Aguerd have been regularly criticised this season, but Thilo Kehrer might be the biggest flop of the lot, despite not having played in a West Ham shirt for much of this season.
Why West Ham signed Thilo Kehrer
West Ham completed the signing of Kehrer from PSG for £10m plus add-ons in August 2022 after the dynamic defender had fallen out of favour in the French capital, starting only 16 Ligue 1 matches in 2021/22.
It was regarded as a major coup and The Athletic's Roshane Thomas said that his "speed and eagerness to occupy advanced positions should add an extra dimension", with tactical flexibility also allowing him to feature across a range of roles.
But one year on, Kehrer has returned back across the Channel – in all likelihood, he will not return to east London.
Thilo Kehrer's 22/23 season in numbers
Alternating between central defence and full-back, Kehrer completed 85% of his passes in the Premier League last season, winning 51% of his duels and averaging 1.6 tackles and 2.7 clearances per fixture, as per Sofascore.
The Germany international was by no means great but he arguably had a tougher time out competing with his nation, lambasted for one particularly "horrendous" performance with Germany by journalist Stefan Bienkowski.
Kehrer returned to France after signing for Monaco on loan in January, with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the campaign.
He's certainly not a bad player and enjoyed some good moments in an Irons shirt, starting 25 Premier League fixtures and a frequent presence in the Europa Conference League, which West Ham of course won.
But he earned a sizeable salary and often struggled at the heart of a backline that suffered a regression on the domestic front following several years of high flying.
Thilo Kehrer's earnings at West Ham
The potential transfer fee for Monaco's permanent acquisition of Kehrer is uncertain but it's unlikely to surpass the £10m figure parted with nearly two years ago.
And considering Kehrer's salary, earning a healthy wage at £80k-per-week, it can be observed that the 27-year-old actually outearned teammates such as Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen.
Thilo Kehrer
£80k-per-week
Tomas Soucek
£65k-per-week
Declan Rice
£60k-per-week
Jarrod Bowen
£60k-per-week
Said Benrahma
£55k-per-week
Nayef Aguerd
£50k-per-week
Of course, both Rice and Bowen have eclipsed last season's salaries having risen to the forefront of European football, Bowen going from strength to strength at West Ham and signing a lucrative new contract at the start of the season following interest from outfits such as Liverpool and Rice joining Arsenal in a £100m deal, with a wage of £240k per week.
With Kehrer struggling to get a game in the Premier League across the opening half of the 2023/24 campaign, making just four substitute appearances, it's clear that he was right to move away, but it's hard to justify such a big salary. He certainly wasn't on the level of stars such as Rice and Bowen.
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