The other side of remodelling the squad involves selling or loaning unwanted players out, both from a ‘wages perspective’ and to help balance the books by bringing millions back in to offset spending.
As Sean Whetstone has stated earlier, the gross spend at West Ham United is heading up towards an eye watering £171 million (see Sean’s summary article which precedes this post). This spend will of course be amortised over several years – spread out to you and me.
It is clear that the standards Lopetegui is setting with the sheer quality of the new signings – Todibo, Wan -Bissaka (hopefully), Kilman, Fullkrug, Summerville and World Cup winning Rodriguez, coupled with our world class players such as Bowen, Paqueta, Areola, Kudus, Alvarez, mean that the bar at West Ham United is now set very high.
Consequently many will not make the cut and, it seems, will be heading for the exit door either on loan or permanent deals. Lopetegui has shown ruthlessness with Kurt Zouma who was last years Captain, culling him from the squad like a wounded deer.
I suspect that ‘time is up’ for many familiar faces: Not just my opinion, either but coming from reliable ‘in the know’ source ExWHUEmployee via @WestHamCentral is the list of those for whom offers would be considered if near to the purchase price:
Aguerd, James Ward-Prowse, Thomas Soucek and Konstantinos Mavropanos:
Those ‘possibly surplus’ whatever that means – Andy Irving, Maxwell Cornet and Danny Ings and with ‘career slightly in doubt’ Vlad Coufal.
Which sounds like a massive ‘for sale’ announcement to me. The Hammers have already tried to offload Ings even by subsidising his wages: I suspect more ‘Zouma-like’ pressure will be brought to bear.
I even referred to these very players in my piece as ‘the exit-bound eight’ a week ago, (spooky) suggesting ‘any combination’ of the eight may be exit bound in order to deal with PSR.
Sean is suggesting that , for example, Nayef Aguerd £30m, Danny Ings £6.85m, Maxwell Cornet £7.7m, Tomas Soucek £25.7m, could make a massive dent in the ‘loss’ column by bringing £70 million-plus back into the Hammers’ bank account.
So I don’t think it can be a surprise to anyone that their time may be up. What is surprising is how the calibre of incoming players has been raised so far, so fast.
It isn’t just about balancing the books, but addressing the fact that the West Ham United team under Julen Lopetegui is going to be of a very different calibre indeed. Amen to that.
Well, let’s hope all these new signings work, cos if not and we sell the players mentioned, we’re well and truly fooked.
This is a huge risk we’re taking, and if it does go t*ts-up I would laugh my ass off at an empty bowl and rioting fans calling for Sulli’s head and seeing the back of the dame!
Of course I desperately want it to work, but there’s always a silver lining!
How exactly would we be fooked? Are any of the players mentioned really what you would consider as the answer, having seen what they served up last season…?
So it wasn’t Moyes’ fault, it was the players?
We need to make up our mind. Can’t run the manager out of town and say he’s wasting the squad and then dump the players at the first whiff of new signings. I mean, the column is just rumor-mongering, but considering depth was the biggest complaint about the squad last year, offloading all of our depth would be silly to the extreme.
And I’m sorry, Martin, but if you think Alvarez is “world class”, you must not have been watching last season. He’s solid, but not in the same breath as Bowen or Kudus or Paqueta.
He may not be world class but he is an exceptional player with a very important role and I think he will have a great season
Alvarez may not be Bowen, Paqueta or Kudos, he’s a different kind of player.
He’s one of the best I’ve seen at what he does as a DM.
Apparently the West Ham faithful agree, as he come 3rd in the HotY voting?
The knock on Moyes was as much about his lack of squad rotation & substitutions that led to fatigue/injury and a late season swoon, costing West Ham European football this season.
Call yourself a fan?
Why would you “laugh my ass off”?
Get behind the team.
Exciting and interesting times. Lopetegui is assembling the squad he wants now it’s down to him to make it work as a team. Unlikely to see instant results I guess but the potential is certainly there.
You sound like one of those not so bright fans who doesn’t understand football or footballs financial constraints. One of those not so bright fans that moan about the board about anything and everything while knowing absolutely nothing. Laugh at an empty stadium and rioting fans? Millwall or Spud?
You’re a proper ray of sunshine ain’t ya.
Are you ever happy?
It looks to me like a calculated risk. We already have three players in Bowen, Alvarez, and Kudas that we could sell for enormous fees. At a conservative estimate, more than £150m.
Add to that some of others who could attract decent fees like Soucek, Areola, and Aguerd.
This time next year, it’s reasonable to expect that Todibo and Summerville will be worth more than we paid. And that’s not counting Paqueta, or the possible emergence of Guilherme, who looks like he could go on to big things.
Of course, we don’t want to sell our best players, but I’d argue we’re ‘asset rich’.
Why the negative talk we have now got the strongest team we have ever had we can only get stronger
Expect mixed results for the first 5 fo 10 games and then see a strengthening team well capable of a Euro finish and cup win .
One of the reasons we needed a right back was that we dont have cover there so selling Coufal would put us back to square one
I’m looking forward to the end of Moyes ball , fortune favours the brave , stop hitting us with negative waves everyone and look positively beyond?
We are in as good a position as we’ve ever been! We could do with another striker maybe elhi wahi from lens and another central midfield playmaker and left back.if possible.And we need to clear all of the dead wood to free up spaces for new arrivals. COYI
For me the difference is evident between Moyes and J-Lo, and it made Tim Steiden’s job a while lot easier. Even if the board had smashed the piggy bank and gone after players of the calibre we are seeing arrive in these kind of numbers, I don’t think they would have signed on.
If they are coming because they want to be part of the project J-Lo and Tim are selling, then exciting times are ahead.
I would like to see the younger players stay with the squad and learn the philosophy of the manager rather than go on loan and get disheartened while learning bad habits , and that means offloading the players bought for Moyes that even he didn’t fancy. Move them on for their own good, if the manager doesn’t see it working for them it’s only fair to give them a chance elsewhere and clear a path for the academy to produce the next generation of homegrown talent and get them on the pitch .