Mark Noble: 'West Ham United need new signings'

West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble has claimed that new signings are needed in the summer if the club qualifies for the Europa League.

The Hammers, who have lost their last two Premier League games, are on the verge of securing a place in Europe next season via the Fair Play table.

Noble believes that it is important for the squad to be strengthened in the coming months as the possibility of an increased fixture list looms.

"Europe's a great thing, everyone wants to play in Europe," he told the club's official website. "We're going to have to improve the squad if we are in the Europa League and hopefully we can compete.

"Once the Europa League's confirmed, we'll know where we have to be, who we're playing and how many players we're going to have to get in.

"You need to have fresh legs for that competition and at the moment in time our squad's not big enough. We'll need to strengthen the squad, keep the players that we've got here and look forward to a good pre-season."

West Ham play their final match of the campaign on May 24 when they travel to relegation-threatened Newcastle United.