Few would have predicted that West Ham would be in contention for a top four spot this season.
After all, they only narrowly avoided relegation last year. Yet here we are, entering the final two months of the campaign, with David Moyes' side just two points outside the Champions League places.
Looking ahead to 2021/22, the Hammers will want to prove that this term has not been a fluke. How do they do that? Well, they should try to have another strong transfer window to back up the last three which has seen the club bring in the likes of Tomas Soucek and Jesse Lingard.
This also means getting rid of players who are no longer needed. Here, GIVEMESPORT's Sam Brookes looks at five players that West Ham should offload this summer in order to slash their wage bill, with all figures courtesy of Spotrac...
1. Andriy Yarmolenko - Annual salary: £5,980,000
It's just not happened for the Ukrainian forward since he arrived in East London. He has not managed more than seven goal contributions in any of the three seasons he has been at the club.
This year, he has just one assist to his name in the Premier League. With the emergence of Lingard and Said Benrahma, he is no more than a back-up option at this stage.
With one year remaining on his contract, West Ham would be best off trying to get a fee for him this summer.
2. Manuel Lanzini - Annual salary: £3,640,000
Lanzini's season has not been too dissimilar to Yarmolenko's. Of course, West Ham's supporters will remember his stunning last-minute goal against Tottenham in October.
Other than that, though, he has done very little. He has only featured in two of the side's last 10 top-flight games, suggesting that he is some way down the pecking order right now.
After registering 30 league goal contributions in his first three seasons in England, Lanzini's form has tailed off in the last three years - the time feels right for West Ham to let him go.
3. Darren Randolph - Annual salary: £2,100,000
Should West Ham really be paying over £2m-a-year in wages to a back-up goalkeeper? Probably not.
Randolph has only appeared in six games across all competitions this year, and is not offering a serious challenge to Lukasz Fabianski at the moment.
Moyes may be better off trying to bring in a cheaper back-up goalkeeper in the coming months.
4. Fabian Balbuena - Annual salary: £2,080,000
Having been a regular starter in the opening weeks of the campaign, Balbuena now seems to be surplus to requirements.
He has not started a league match in 2021, with Craig Dawson slotting into the heart of the team's defence in the past few months.
Balbuena's contract is set to expire in June, and there is no need to extend his current deal.
5. Ryan Fredericks - Annual salary: £2,080,000
Vladimir Coufal has come in and made the right-back spot his own this term. This has restricted Fredericks to just 13 appearances across all competitions.
His contract is set to end next year, and he has not done enough to warrant an extension. With this in mind, it makes sense for West Ham to try to sell the 28-year-old at the end of the season.
Savings:
If West Ham manage to get these five players out the door, they will save themselves £15.9m in wages for the 2021/22 season.
The side have been linked with Aaron Ramsey and Aaron Boupendza in recent days, and may be able to get these players over to London if they can lower their wage bill beforehand.