West Ham decided to sell el Hadji Malick Diouf last weekend – the last weekend of the transfer window– to Brentford for £35 million plus add-on’s which was, to anyone’s mind, a great deal for a selling club that paid just over half that amount a year ago.
However running a successful football club is not all about pure profit. It helps, but without key players no squad can succeed and the Hammers are now facing the very real possibility of playing half a season with only an academy graduate at left back. Ollie Scarles is a good prospect but he’s still learning and without the attacking flair that Diouf offered and Nuno needs.
And entering into the last couple of days of the transfer window, West Ham were reduced to making desperate bids for other clubs’ defenders to replace Diouf before the 11pm Tuesday deadline.
Not for sale : Hull City’s Ryan Giles. Apparently
As caught offside.com almost gleefully announced earlier, West Ham’s latest cunning plan to bring in Hull City’s left back Ryan Giles has failed, as the sellers don’t want to let him leave: Meaning head of recruitment Nils Koppen now needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat tomorrow to provide Nuno with a first choice left back. As the report summarised:
“West Ham recently sanctioned the departure of El Hadji Malick Diouf to Brentford, and they were hoping to replace him properly. Giles could have been a useful option, but they will have to look at alternatives now.
“They (West Ham) were quite poor at the back last season, and losing a player like Diouf will only make things worse for them defensively. It remains to be seen whether they can replace him properly.”
Seriously, you’d expect that the Hammers had a proper plan in place to bring in a new left back before cashing in on the Senegalese player. Wouldn’t you?
It’s not looking good.
ha ha o ye of little faith x
I’m aghast in every sense that we have sold players without having any, let alone suitable replacements. Are there any real professional recruitment teams in football….. never at West Ham. We have gaps everywhere with no robust central or left sides defence
Amiss or burrows they want to get one of them clubs run like billy smarts circus fck promises from this board dont mean a thing they are a disgrace to the football club
Luckily Kyle Water Peters can play left back
The window will close as I get home from the Wolves game. I don’t want to imagine my mood. Definitely medicating for the evening. What a desparate state we are in. I cant remember a lower ebb at the start of a season going back to the 70s.
this is the shambles that is west ham.
The current bunch of shareholders have killed the club again.
what a coincidence the share situation becomes clear the day after the window shuts. how lucky no investment will be made.
This whole debacle lands with the current board, I don’t know how they are getting away with it.
Pathetic tbh. Fed up with all this also rans that I’ve never heard of.bit lucky to make playoffs inside top 8.laughable….
Very limited choice this late in the day_Harrison Burrows scouted to cover Diouf of Harry Amass.
Or maybe the white rabbit from the hat that nobody’s heard of.
Typical West Ham, say there going for too players..like Cresswell/ Harwood Bellis..plus others, but won’t pay the asking price..but let our best players go for the first offer on the table..they only shout these players up to placate the fans, but have no intention of signing any of them…all were left with is either foreign players who nobody’s heard of or out of contract over 30s who nobody wants. Sick of it.
Amiss or burrows they want to get one of them clubs run like billy smarts circus fck promises from this board dont mean a thing they are a disgrace to the football club