News that Manu Lanzini may be missing for a couple of games or so with an Achilles injury puts the pressure on two players in particular within the Hammers squad.
Said Benrahma still has some proving to do but Nikola Vlasic – at much the same sort of transfer fee – has more to show us.
David Moyes has made great play of needing to ensure that he signs better players than he has at the moment .
But in these two and Alex Kral, granted on loan, his early purchases may not have lived up to those ambitions. He too has a bit to prove in that area.
I would imagine he will play it as what he sees as safe against Watford by calling up Benrahma into the team but although there have been times when he has looked ok there has to be more to come at nearly £30 million surely
The same is true of Vlasic who thought he may get an extended chance with Benny away on Afcon duty – a short lived hope with Algeria being knocked out in the group stages.
As the players have to prove it ON the pitch, question marks still hover over Moyes in the market after Benrahma, Kral, Vlasic and not forgetting a certain Jordan Hugill – at a combined transfer fee of £64 million.
Wanting better players is very worthy – now he needs to show is he can actually go and get them.
He will of course take much credit for Jarrod but the former Hull City winger signed a month after he arrived as was the case with Tomas Soucek with – much of the negotiating having already been done.
Interesting to see how the tone of every Moyes story has turned critical. What a change from two months ago. Then he could do no wrong. Now he has so much to prove to us. Be careful what you wish for. Maybe we should hope for a return of the Allardyce, Bilic, or Pelegríni years?
Let’s remember there is no perfect manager – praise, observation and criticism is allowed