First West Ham sold Mateus Fernandes in an eyeball-busting £85 million deal that kept the lights on at London Stadium and paid down a shed load of debt. West Ham fans knew that one was coming and even congratulated the club for the manner in which Tottenham were screwed to the wall on the price.
Next the Freddie Potts sale took another promising young West Ham talent away from Nuno’s resources in midfield and put another £10 million in the coffers, surprising many who pointed out that, without Soucek and quite possibly Alvarez, the Irons were getting thin on the ground in the centre of the pitch.
So today’s report that another West Ham midfielder is in talks to move to Crystal Palace suggests the ‘changing of the guard’ will soon be complete: Not unexpected after weeks of speculation over Soungoutou Magassa‘s non-appearance this season, as per givemesport.com, quoting French ITK Fabrice Hawkins:
“He Wants to Join: Crystal Palace Hold Talks to Sign West Ham Star
Crystal Palace are in talks to sign West Ham midfielder Soungoutou Magassa in the summer transfer window.
Quite possibly the arrival of Arne Engels and today’s news regarding Divine Mukasa’s addition is evidence enough that Magassa’s future lies away from West Ham as he sinks lower in the pecking order at London Stadium. A sale of Magassa would see the total dismantling of the trio that once, all too briefly, looked to offer a very bright future at the heart of West Ha’s midfield as the Potts – Magassa -Fernandes ‘bubble’ well and truly fades and dies.
However one cannot help but feel that Nuno is taking aim at the wrong part of the pitch by dismantling West Ham’s midfield when it is the woeful, porous defence that needs root and branch change which is, so far, not forthcoming.
We don’t have any CDM’s if Magassa and Alvarez depart the porous defence will be more exposed.
A lot of this comes from the shambles in the boardroom.
There’s no one in charge at the top, there’s no clear direction.
Whilst they argue in the boardroom the club goes nowhere.
We didn’t get the cash injection promised, so we’re short of cash, hence selling more and more players.
If I was Bowen I would look at this and walk, he’s been let down as have all the people who bought season tickets
Until these leaches ok f shareholders go, we’re going nowhere but backwards.
Another player, proved themselves not good enough for a relegated team, exits. The idea they were young and therefore the future doesn’t make sense, they weren’t good enough. Palace just replaced us as one of the worst teams in the premiership and signing up players from our relegated team will just cement their relegation.
It’s the -50% that’s done it.
Would you take a 50% pay cut just to stay on at your job? No- neither will they.
Magassa wasn’t that good- he couldn’t hit a barn door at 5 yards. I always expected a lot more from him than we got. Kante on the other hand MUST stay- he has been outstanding in his matches this season.
Magassa is a strange one. He had one outstanding performance, topped it off with a goal, and everyone was raving about him, interview on MotD etc.
Then after that he just got a few minutes here and there (this was before Nuno), even when we really seemed to need him. Now he’s been notably absent pre-season and the opening matches. Supposedly a knock.
On the face of it, he should be ideal for us now. He can cover DM and CB.
Sometimes I think we know very little about what’s really going on.
It’s the Crystal Palace bit that is so annoying. That’s how much the Premier League is coveted by players from around the world that they’d rather play for a club that is even more yo-yo than us in their modern history and in front of half the crowd size in order to get a better contract. The Prem has become so much more of a vacuum than our previous soirée down here. Still it has to be said, they are a much better run club than us for the last decade and are rightfully above us. This has to be a lesson to the club and we have to overhaul every club that is much smaller that has overtaken us in recent years.
Nuno has lost the plot… please replace him with an attacking manager that the lads want to play for coyi
Why do they all wanna go – Could it be Nuno by any chance. Maybe another manager would get some of them to stick around. He’ll be gone by October I recon.
Or – and hear me out – they signed for a Premier League team and they would prefer to continue to play at the highest level and for the highest wages??
We will barely have a squad if we let many note players go.
We need to desperately get some defenders in, I think we can cope with the players we have in midfield and up front, with the younger players coming through
Engels and Mukasa are attacking midfielders. Magassa is a defensive midfielder. So him leaving alongside Potts and Alvarez will leave a gap.
Agreed – a replacement defensive midfielder will be required, especially with Alvarez on his way out the door as well.
Right! I’m beginning to get Nuno’s philosophy – have 2 goal keepers and twenty centre forwards, the best form of defence being attack. That’s it seen from the viewpoint of an ex goalkeeper.QED.
Don’t understand, how many centre forwards are you suggesting we have
This is getting ridiculous sign a replacement and a centre back and another forward
The championship is all about scoring goals more than the opposition. If Nuno keeps the mindset of keeping clean sheets, we will be staying in the championship.
It’s really starting to annoy me now, with the players with h obvious quality we are letting go.
Magassa not even sure he is up to Prem stsndard! Probably needa a Championship season to get up to standard!!