The Hammers stunningly came sixth last season in the Premier League, finishing above teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Everton, when they were tipped to be one of the relegation candidates before the campaign.
They have made a great start to this season as well, being one of only a handful of teams with seven points after three games, sitting in second place in the table.
Cottee believes that juggling the Europa League with domestic football is a brand-new experience for the Hammers and finishing in the top ten could be considered a satisfactory season for David Moyes’ side.
The West Ham legend wants to see the Hammers go deep in the Europa League as well as the domestic cups, to further excite the fans.
Speaking on the Where’s Jeff Podcast, Cottee said: “It’s a whole new experience for the club.
“They have played in Europe before, but they’ve never really had that group stage of a guaranteed six games.
“They’ve got Manchester United away in the League Cup as well.
“The one thing I would say is that they are in safe hands because they’ve got David Moyes.
“He’s got experience from Everton, from Manchester United, he knows what a European campaign is all about.
“Where can they finish?
“I think if they can finish in the top ten that has got to be a good season.
“What the fans want is a good cup run.
“West Ham fans have not had much to shout over the years as we all know, so a good cup run is always great for the fans.
“I want to see them give it a real go in the Europa League and if you can stay into the competition until the new year then you’ve got a chance because there are some teams in there that West Ham will fancy themselves again.”
West Ham made a series of signings over the course of the transfer window to boost their squad depth, but it remains to be seen how successful Moyes will be at juggling domestic and European demands.
