West Ham’s relentless hunt for a striker is being hit by “potty prices.”
Having missed out of Alexandre Lacazette and Michy Batshuayi, the club is back to square one as it looks to get the 20 goal striker they believe they need.
ClaretandHugh was told by its top source: “Prices have gone totally potty – it’s a very difficult market in which to operate but we continue to work 24/7 and remain confident.
David Sullivan has consistently maintained that no strikers will be allowed to leave until the club has found better replacements.
However, a decision to let Enner Valencia move on has been made – leaving Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho key to next season’s requirements as things stand.
And our best source revealed: “At the moment we are going through a list with the names of about 10 strikers upon it.”
And he confirmed that Marseille had acceptd a €38.5m bid for Batshuayi but the player had “chosen to move elesewhere.”
He said: “There’s no panic – we know what we need and continue as said, to work very hard on the position.”
Janssen
‘Nuff said.
Just pay the effin money and stop trying to knock prices down. If we’d have stumped up £40m for Batshuayi or £45m for Lacazette a month ago we would have a top striker who would pay back that spend in one season of goals.
We have to go all out for Icardi and Berardi now.
typical Sullivan should of kept he’s mouth shut & watch other clubs sign players without giving it the big un
100% agree
It’s hard to believe that our owners are top business men if you look at how they’ve been handling this.
You can bargain with someone when they don’t want the player but you can’t try and bargain with the most coveted players in the world. It’s also not very clever to tell the world what you want, you just hand them all the leverage.
I hope they’ve learned from this and move quickly and quietly to get their man.
It is the same for every other side in the Prem, and it is not rocket science either is it? Every foreign club understands there has been a big increase in the Sky money, so it is natural that clubs will inflate the prices of their best players.
I think you are correct, too much Twitter etc before the players are bought. But Hammers have a great record in the transfer market and the two free transfers so far this summer look very good buys. Still early days in the transfer market and I dont think either French forward would have signed regardless of how much Hammers offered.
It doesnt matter what offer you put in to a club,if the player doesn’t want to come to you he won’t.Palace offered 31million for Batman,he was never going there in a month of Sundays.We are just not the big pull for players right now that some of you seem to believe I’m afraid.We could offer 70 Million for Lacazette but if he doesn’t want to move to us it won’t happen.
All gone quiet from Turkey again, whats going on with Tore? Thought this signing was a given. We want him & he wants to sign for us so is he, will he, when?
I saw Batshuayi for Marseille a couple of times last season on tv, and although he is obviously someone with potential ( I trust our scouting team ), he did not look like the dogs bolleaux at all to me. The price for him is too high, but it shows the inflation in the market.
As Markro says Janssen is better value if he can prove he is no one season wonder.
If Sak is staying we just need to replace Emineke and young Fletcher can be given a chance as 4th striker as he cant be any worse,
So it’s replacing Valencia probably with Gomez because he is the right price and will score a lot more goals,
Tore to replace Moses.
So we need a right back and probably a keeper if Randolf is moving on,
No £25 million player in sight or needed,
And a shed load of young talent ready to break through,
That will do for me as long as Dimitri stays,
Maybe a £10 million spend on the young Croatia midfielder,
We only need 1 CF as we will be playing with fast wingers and midfielders,
I think I agree with bubs…
I’ve been saying for weeks, and I’m sure plenty of people will disagree, IF we keep Carroll fit, there’s no reason he can’t be a 20 goal a season striker, Sak can be amazing, when his head is in the game so let’s get him settled somehow. The two freebies look like fantastic signings, Payet stays and Antonio gets a full season in the squad…We’ll have goals coming from all over the place.
As brilliant as Lacazette or Batshuayi would’ve been, they didn’t want to come to us…nothing to do with money…if we qualified for champions league we’d have signed one, but we didn’t. Let’s deepen the squad for now…sign a top striker if the opportunity presents itself but I think right back is a much more pressing issue for us.
I’m really confident for this season, we have a good TEAM, a group of players who all experiences the last Boleyn game together, all moved to the Olympic stadium together…I think they’ll have a togetherness that’ll be far more important than a £40million gamble
I agree about Carroll. He had a decent season after his last major injury got fixed. It was the longest hes played for us without another major injury. He scored goals and was dedicated to make things happen.
Valenica is gone and Sako could go if they cant calm him down so we do need replacement(s) for them. We need at least 3 strikers even if we play one up front. If Sako stays we still need one. Niyang( whatever ), or Janssen are cheaper options who could do the job.
In 12 months we could be talking about Fletcher and Martinez…….
Go all in for Jannsen if we lose him to Spuds so what, at least he is a top player and is a genuine 20 / 25 goal a season striker plus he plays in Holland so you know if it is a rainy cup tie in Grimsby it is meat and drink to him.
We scored a lot of goals last season, 65, beaten only bu 3 of the top four and matched by Arsenal…why are we so concentrated on buying a new striker. 65 goals with Sak out for months, Carroll out for the majority of the season, Valencia and Payet both taken out by Everton, Lanzini was injured for a bit, Antonio broke into the squad halfway into the season and then had to play right back for a quarter of the season, Eminike (need I go on about that waste of space?)…. A lot got in the way of us getting a good consistent run going, refs decisions constantly going against us, every goal scoring player having their season interrupted…and we still scored 65 goals… I’m excited…forget spending on a big ego we don’t need it!
You took the words out of my mouth, Josh. Especailly the ego of an expensive striker. If there is one thing we should have learnt from the Wales, Iceland and both Irish teams, and that is that team spirit and bonding can be greater than skill of a superstar. I go team spirit over expensive ego every day of the week!
Incidentally, I think Emanike’s goal v Blackburn was a textbook lesson in rounding the goalie…..one of my favourite WHU goals last season; what do you reckon? – Doesn’t make him my favourite player – although I didn’t think he was that bad, myself; but just loved the goal!
One word !!
Jansen ,
Perfect shoe fit ,
Just go sign him a.s.a.p . Pay what they want !!! Ffs , this bloke is very good .
Carol sakho, and Jensen . That will do for me .
Dave’s need to keep quiet pre transfers dealings and stop showboating with TV money lol.
Its happened every year so far , sshhhhhhhhhhhh , just get on and sign Jenson and shock us !! But I’m not holding my breath ! This bloke wants prem time and he ain’t bothered who he plays for ! And he’s cheap , dirt cheap for his quality , and that will not be for long once the buyer gets him on board , IMO he will be a top top striker and we will probably let him slip by ??
Pull that dildo out and go and charm him to come and pay the money .
Shock me , !!!!!
Can’t really comment on Jansen too much, haven’t seen much of him. Completely agree, Daves need to shut up. keep telling everybody how much you want certain players and you’re basically requesting a higher asking price ffs!
Eminike goal was pretty good and as HammerTime said, textbook. But he did not have the edge, the competitiveness of the sharpness that you need in the prem. The chances he had and wasted… The games we would have won if the ball dropped to anybody but him. I don’t know what it was about him that I never liked, I just think we panicked with all the injuries and he was all we could get. Served a purpose when we were spread a bit thin, but I’m so glad to be rid of him. One decent striker to fill the gaps is all we need. Sak is plan A at the moment I think, Carroll an absolute game changer, I don’t feel any real desperation to be honest. I’m predicting at least 12/13 for Payet this season, hopefully Carroll stays fit….please can we start looking at right backs so we can unleash Antonio again?
Again, Josh, you took the words right out of my mouth!
Actually, for the 1st time (I thinK), they ARE talking about a RB: Belgian international right back Thomas Meunier…We DO need a RB; We are in complete agreement about Antonio. I watched the video from previous post of Vincent Janssen, and he DOES look the business…bit like Rooney: Strong, opportunist, bustles, and knows EXACTLY where the goal is… from all angles. Varied penalties. Finisher. Only 21, but now in Dutch 1st team. Finding it hard to know what’s NOT to like about him! Even prefer him to BattyBoy! No wonder Johnboy so enthusiastic.
BUT I would have preferred that the club had quietly got him, and THEN we find out about it….
Or as Gold recently said (on main website)
“There are still two months to go and I would urge all our fans not to get anxious.
We have already made three new signings and there are a few more to come.
We should all remain confident that the recruiting team headed by David Sullivan and Slaven Bilic will deliver once again with the players that we need.”
I’ll be v sad to see Tommo go, but I just have to trust DS and Slav to know exactly what they are doing…Look how brilliantly they have done already….
I noticed that the two main signings we made were not on anyones radar so , maybe, just maybe, all the bluster etc is all a smoke screen and our real target will not be named until we actually sign him.
Yes, the Daves shouldn’t have said a figure they are prepared to pay but who knows what is going on behind the scenes.
As for Tore, I think their Owners are trying to milk the situation, but player power will prevail and I believe we will get him soon.
The biggest problem is the Internet. A few years ago, offers were made, deals done and new signings unveiled to the press. Now, every potential offer – real or imagined – is scrutinised and discussed by the whole world, rehashed for weeks then criticised when or if happens. Every idiot with access to an iPad can set up a website and generate a story – example no.1; the fantasists at the Brentwood Gazette.
Let’s just wait and see what D&G actually come up with. Most of their effective business is done quietly – both freebies so far – then announced (often by Jack, but who cares?)
FWIW, looking at the video show reels, I’d personally take Benteke over Janssen; the Villa goal selection is pretty impressive and it shows he can do it in the PL. Just because Liverpool didn’t suit him shouldn’t put us off; he’s not a Klopper so won’t even see bench time this season.
Sorry Demon, but Benteke has masses of space for his Villa goals. He doesn’t get that anymore – he’s been rumbled – and guess what? He can’t cut the mustard. You might want him. I don’t