West Ham Defender Issues Stern Relegation Warning & Plays Down Impact of £100m Summer Spending

West Ham defender Pablo Zabaleta has slammed his teammates for not putting in enough good performances this season, insisting that the Hammers having an impressive squad doesn't make them exempt from relegation.

The Irons are currently sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table and are the only side yet to pick up a single point this season. Although early fixtures against Liverpool and Arsenal haven't been kind, Manuel Pellegrini's side have wasted good chances in matches against Bournemouth and Wolves.

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Zabaleta was keen to make it known that strong teams being relegated is nothing new in the Premier League, but the Argentine rubbished claims that spending big over the summer is a key factor in their early form.

"We have seen good teams going down before so we must fight," Zabaleta said, quoted by the Sun. "We know we have got the quality in the team but the players need to put in good performances.

"We have a lot of new players, they’ve come in from different countries, different leagues and now we are adapting to a different style of play under Manuel.

"It takes a bit of time. But the problem in the Premier League is that if you don’t win games it’s difficult because you don’t have any easy games.

"These days, teams are spending big and every team has quality and can bring in top players. Even the teams getting promoted spent really big in the summer."

Things might only get worse for West Ham before they get better too. The Hammers travel to Goodison Park after the international break in a must-win game, especially as the club then welcome Chelsea and Manchester United to east London before the start of October.