Leander Dendoncker insists that West Ham would have been a great move for him to advance his career.
The Belgium international is known to have been a target for the Hammers with conflicting reports of David Moyes dithering and lack of a suitable bid ensuring it didn’t happen.
The 22-year-old, has made it clear he wants a move to the Premier League adding that he holds ambitions of being picked in the Belgium World Cup squad this summer.
He said: “I long for higher. [Should] I should not let my career depend on [featuring at] a World Cup?”
Dendoncker and Youri Tielemans were a pivotal pair in Anderlecht’s League title win last season and the player added: “The disappointment was great – I could barely overcome it.
“I noticed that after the departure of Youri they did not want to get rid of the whole midfield.
“I was on the phone every day with my agent. I was told, ‘Be patient, it will come around, maybe at the very end.’
“I was constantly working on that transfer, instead of just focusing on the training. I was wrong, I realise that. But it was the first time I came into such a situation, I just did not know how to deal with it.”
“Anderlecht was not the problem, it’s just that after the title [last season] I had the desire to take the next step in my career,” Dendoncker added,
Apparently we bid £13m to be paid in instalments for a player the club not unreasonably values at £20m. Genius negotiating skills from the club. They then spend £10m on a very average Championship centre forward, much as I wish the lad well and hope he succeeds.
If there’s one thing we need it’s DS nowhere near transfer negotiations. He appears to have a childish need to prove that he’s a super dooper wheeler dealer, when clearly he’s quite the opposite. We invariably end up looking idiots and more importantly don’t get the player.
I don’t buy this BS about Moyes dithering. We need a defensive midfielder desperately and here’s one with a lot of promise who wants to come. He’s not buying him using his own money is he? Why wouldn’t he go for him.
Can’t agree more neilalex, at least he has stopped his twitter…Next step- to leave transfers to Moyes or bring in a Football Director.
I agree completely as well. You don’t get to the position Sullivan has in business without ‘rating’ yourself, but sometimes you have to recognise when you’re not good at something and get the right people in. In most clubs, someone sits between the owners and transfer targets to ensure they’re handled correctly and sensibly, and without it being the negotiators own money that’s being spent. We need that, desperately to ensure the management can identify targets, notify those in charge of transfers, then it’s up to them to ratify the spend with the owners before getting on with negotiations… Sullivan needs to step back.
Agree of Moyes does leave perfect time to bring in DOF. I like Moyes as mgr but not sure about his recuitment has gone all British & wants PL experience if can. Which all for British players but more expensive & can’t find players need in eight position. Tho should go after Maddison especially if can’t hold onto Mario.
Sully talkd about bringing in DOF last summer & were linked w Spartak’s DOF.
Bir that’s what we need a pro who knows agents has relationships with clubs keeps eye on up & coming can find those gems etc. Sully is 81 time to take a back seat & hire professional to do their job & be proper fans & Brady fairly sure she is Spurs fan just let her have Column
I know for a fact that Anderlecht were not ready to sell in Jan, but wanted to wait till the summer and start an auction.
Dendonker definitely wanted to join us, but without putting big money up front, we were not going to get him. Moyes has admitted he would never pay big money for someone he could not asses. He sent Pearce to make an assessment but Dendonker was playing all this season at CB, while we wanted to see him in CMF. Pearce was not impressed.
I saw him twice in live televised games at that time and also was not impressed, because at CB he had nothing at all to do over 2 games ( that’s Belgian football ).
I can understand then why it didn’t happen.
Nothing to do with stupid old West Ham, or the 3 stupid old Davids.
Here we go, the usual anti board comments will be arriving soon, with Lazurus the fishmonger or what ever he calls himself, leading the charge with his silly emoticons in his messages.
Big Money? Weren’t we supposed to be moving to the next level? We’ve happily paid £10m for a 25 year old centre forward who wasn’t in the top 20 scorers in the championship when we signed him. Oh, but we made a few phone calls to Preston so that’s all good.
It doesn’t stack up. If we weren’t impressed then why bid at all? Are we saying that we don’t mind wasting £13m but we’re not going to waste £20m? Nonsense.
We are talking about £20 mil on someone we hadn’t seen in midfield ( actually they wanted much more than that ). Hugill cost £10 mil ( relative peanuts ) after they had studied him to the Nth degree. There is a big difference.
Of course it’s nice to pretend that if we offered £20 mil then the dumb foreigners would have just given him up, but actually they were ready for a fight.
We’ve seen Hugill to the nth degree? They kept that well hidden then because there was universal astonishment on deadline day. We manage to endlessly scout an average Championship player, but couldn’t get to see this lad? That in itself is a problem if that’s how we go about identifying players we’re interested in.
I’m sure Anderlecht wanted to keep the player, but equally sure that the player himself wanted the move since he’s come out and said as much, and usually if that’s the case they get their way. To me there’s no logic or clear strategy here and that’s the problem; if we’ve identified him as a player we want then pay the money and get him. If he isn’t don’t bid, because the fact that you get him cheaper isn’t going to make him better. You can take a punt on a player but I’d argue that £13m is hardly a punt.
Leander is honest too it seems. And knew he had been effected by Touri moving. He wanted this move & we low bidded them & started to late bc Moyes didn’t really fancy him bc no PL experience & not British is main recruitment policies.
But we need a CDM so bad. Ndonf on loan w Buy option of £7m be great to add some pace & cover.
Watford always to good recruitment.
Anderlecht didn’t want to sell especially so late bc no replacement & don’t blame them I wouldn’t take £4m up front w so much in summer & so on to £14m.
We offered £18m for Cairney & is AM #10 we got in Mario already we really needed CDM & Dendockner & others were available even on loan.
Lack of planning board need to hire professionals get that DOF been talking about if Moyes does leave perfect time to bring one in & then Sully can take a back seat like Gold let experts do it go to games & Brady let her go & have her column
We asked for loan but they refused.We needed Dendonker but as I said we had no chance of seeing him in center midfield and at center back he was not at all impressive. I still think that was the real problem.
Agree about getting someone in to take over from Sullivan.
Completely schizophrenic. So many players we approached rejected our invitation, and this one who really wanted to come we make things impossible to happen.