On the face of it, if Julen Lopetegui gets his way then West Ham United will bring in their 9th signing of the window – a truly stunning summer. Trying to offload players at this stage in the window will take some doing, and likely the losses will be taken on the chin by the West Ham Board.
Now I know that Simon earlier has suggested that selling one – in particular – of our midfielders is a ‘last resort’ as he’s a significant asset. I’d like to put forward an alternative view.
It must be said, James Ward Prowse has not lived up to his £30 million price tag and has been something of a disappointment since arriving last summer as a ‘Marquee’ Moyes signing. The ‘speciality’ free kicks and dead balls have yielded, from memory, one goal direct from a corner which exciting though it was, isn’t really up to expectations for those of us who waited for him to ease past David Beckham’s record from free kicks.
Ward-Prowse scored direct from a corner
No doubt at his future club – if it is to be Forest – he will revert to form and start scoring for fun again. Very ‘West Ham’, the free kick expert who cannot score. Last year, the deck was stacked against him as West Ham simply didn’t have a ball carrier able to run at defences in order to win those very free kicks he thrives on. Paqueta was out wide, Hammers were playing a counter attacking game with 35% possession or less most weeks. Very difficult for anyone to succeed if they only have the one trick in their locker. Bowen, to my mind, produced corners that were every bit as threatening.
James Ward Prowse will be sold, we hear, if bids come in anywhere close to the price that West Ham United paid last Summer- the £30 million figure will be too high for Nottingham Forest who are more likely to try their luck around the £20 million level. In addition, JWP’s salary of around £110,000 a week would then be partly or fully off the books if he completes a move to Forest: In addition of course this will unlock the key to Carlos Soler’s loan to buy move from Paris St Germain that we know Lopetegui wants to complete before 31 August.
Carlos Soler brings – hopefully- a more creative slant to midfield whereas Ward-Prowse has been largely anonymous. Lopetegui’s desire to have two players for every position means he sees Soler as the Paqueta option for creativity and linking up with the wide players, in addition to being altogether more combative in defence. When we have had the Soucek – Ward Prowse pivot in midfield we have looked porous and it is something I hope is consigned to history. Soler, El Machin and Rodriguez – now there is a strength in depth.