David Moyes’ hunt for a central defender couldn’t be more well known given the events of the past few weeks.
We have heard far more about who has missed out on than who may be coming in but for me – and probably most – the front position is the one to really be concerned about.
It almost feels as though Issa Diop is being written off as an option and I find that surprising to be perfectly honest.
If we believe that Moyes was ready to go up to £40 million for Burnley’s James Tarkowski last season before settling for £2 million Craig Dawson it suggests that he is hoping to spend a chunk on a new central defender.
But in Diop – who cost £22 million after all – he has a central defender who at his best is an impressive operator and who looks more than adequate as a third option in the position.
Frankly, if lets say,there is ££45m-£50m to spend most would probably sooner see it going on a quality striker.
Got to be striker first and foremost. Look how many Mikey might miss playing for Jamaica + injuries! Yarmo and Bowen aren’t great stopgaps. Cannot afford to let Diop go. Only 2 more Prem games before the window closes.If Origi not 1st choice maybe we’ll get Sima?
Is it fair of David Moyes to expect Cresswell and Ogbona , Antonio to last all the games that West Ham will have to play. Johnson is seen as an alternative to buying a back, but he to is subject to injury. We need five Players. We need enough Players to go through the Season. Some of the excuses given like I don’t know if they will fit into the Squad, bodes the question why were they on your list and why have we wasted so much time on trying to buy them, only to blow them out. Truth is they NEVER meant to buy them. Looks to me like the money goes into a pot, some of which will disappear come the next Transfer Deadline and some will make lots of interest which we will never see either. Where is the Haller and European money ? Damn it, where is the small amount we made on transfers ?
Funny it all seems to disappear. Oh how convenient Covid has been to some.
No. Let’s not lower our expectations simply because the club has to date done next to nothing to build up an already small squad, and the season has already started.
The simple facts.
We have LESS cover at cb than last season, ( balbuena gone, alves on loan ) ogbonna is a year older, and we are playing an extra competition, that we (,fans at least ) expect to take seriously.
We need minimum, a cb and a striker. No ifs no buts.
Diop not being written off as an option. He’ll be needed if moyes plays a back three, although cresswell could play in the back three and bring in Johnson. In any case we need four defenders. We need cover for injuries. We basically need balbuenas replacement.
We can see who is speculating and jumping to conclusions and it’s not Moyes. Moyes has to do pressers and he has to say something even if he’s got nothing to say, the media demands demand it. I’m sure Moyes would rather say nothing and leave everyone guessing and making false claims about as Stuart Pearce has stated, players that were not even in for. Two weeks to go and we’ll see if they can get any of their targets. The real targets not the media red herrings. I remember this same situation before when Moyes signed Souchek and coufal. No one saw them coming. I’m quite relaxed about the situation. I wouldn’t even mind if Moyes signed nobody and his master plan was to make room for youngsters to come through, the likes of Oko flex, Coventry, odubeko etc. Time will tell.
That was the biggest suprise of all that Moyes said the fans would not be frustrated !
I haven’t met or spoken to a single fan in recent times who isn’t completely knacked off by the lack of progress on transfers.
Much as I love Antonio for his impromtu skills, he is deadly when he doesn’t think about it too much, but when he does, it falls down so we need a properly schooled striker (like Callum Wilson for example0, and not one who is going to play second fiddle to Mikey.
Now perhaps Moyes is keeping his powder dry and has a cunning Baldrick type plan but I very much doubt it, as we should have had players in to take part and bond in pre season.
But then our new DoF would have sorted things out if he had been able to work before September (again lack of foresight)
It is embarrassing that we seem to have so many problems when it comes to transfers.
I just cant wait to see the players we are going to sign, they are going to be outstanding because as a good manager he has been planning all summer and knows exactly the quality players we need. Now that’s where the lies stop. What a joke this window has become from a West Ham perspective. Lets look at what has happened – targets like Abraham (so delighted we did not sign him), Milenkovic, Lingard were not at the Euros so why not instigate deals for these players earlier in the summer. Secondly he put all his eggs in signing Abraham and he let players like the Russian Striker be sold to Benfica for 13m, he promised to buy young hungry players yet he refuses to sign the best CB on the market in Milenkovic at 23m who will be worth 50m in 2 years time. Instead he is looking at players in their mid to late 20’s who have no resale value. When Rice wants to leave next summer Moyes will not be able to do a thing about it as he has not delivered on his promise of signing top young talent. Finally he wants to sign players who cannot get into their team or even squads and he honestly believes this is progression. We do not deal with clubs we are competing with. We need 4 top players, 3 at a minimum a CB, attacking mid and a striker and they need to be exciting signings for the club and fans who can bring us to the next level. According to reports Moyes is in charge of who we bring in so if he is true to his word he will sign young proven players who will bring us to the next level or at least maintain our current standings. Moyes has spoken a lot of rubbish lately about the fans will not be frustrated with the lack of signings etc, he needs to stop the talking, actions speak louder than words.
Agree. Far too much talking and saying bugger all