Quiet man boss wants everything played very close to chest

West Ham have tightened up considerably on the ‘leaks’ that are popularly believed to have spoiled our chances in the transfer market.

Since Manuel Pellegrini’s arrival as the new manager there has been a ‘curtains drawn’ policy introduced which has seen – by and large – only the ‘usual suspects’ named in the media.

Quiet man Pellegrini has insisted that any leaks are kept to an absolutely minimum as he and his director of football Mario Husillos get down to business.

Thus far only Ryan Fredericks has joined as a free signing although – as reported Swansea pair Lukasz Fabianski and Alfie Mawson are understood to be close.

We understand that up to 15 names are on the Hammers list of candidates but it’s unlikely that any serious action will be seen until the last two or thee weeks of the transfer window.

Agents and clubs are always determined to ensure that clubs are desperate and thus ready to pay over the odds for their targets – along with agents fees, the reason for the ‘last days’ scramble.

Former boss David Moyes highlighted the problems he had experienced with information getting into the public domain when news of his bust-up with Andy Carroll broke last season.