Stuart Pearce says West Ham know that they must get their recruitment spot on this summer if they are to continue their progression.
The Hammers secured a remarkable sixth-placed finish last season with a club-record Premier League points tally under David Moyes and his coaching staff, which includes Pearce.
Recruitment has been a cornerstone of Moyes' success during his second spell in east London, with Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal and Jesse Lingard all having made a significant impact at the London Stadium.
The Scot will be backed again this summer and is keen to add at least one striker, a central defender and midfielder.
With the Hammers in the Europa League next season and expecting those around them in the Premier League to get stronger, Pearce knows they must be on the money once more - and has detailed the sort of player the staff want to see.
“Our recruitment has got to be right this summer,” Pearce told talkSPORT.
“Some of the names they speculate that I read about are so fanciful, and so not on the radar, you wouldn’t believe it.
“But what I would say is that for David to put his name to a player, he’s got to be sure that that player is the right one to fit into our environment.
“It’s a very work-orientated environment at West Ham, our running stats have gone through the roof since David arrived.
“There’s an expectation that everyone pulls their weight. We should be excited by next season, it’ll be tougher.
“All your rivals that have underachieved, their eye is on getting better.
“If you think what you did this year will be good enough to sustain and improve you, you’ll be sadly mistaken.
“You’ve got to improve year on year just to stay level.”
West Ham are keen on Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer and will move to make Lingard's loan permanent as a priority.
