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Moyes may have a nine man exit list

 

By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings

 

Despite lock down the transfer rumour mill is grinding into gear.

It is of course accepted this summer’s transfer window will be very different to the norm. with more and more financial hits on the way.

Transfers are sure to be at a premium. Even the biggest clubs will have to reign in their spending. For clubs like West Ham, who have always had to balance the books, the next window is likely to be viewed with understandable caution.

David Moyes has made no secret of his desire to build a young and energetic West Ham squad for the future, which may mean his transfer activity is more geared to who is going ‘out’ before thinking about who might be coming ‘in’.

As it stands  Carlos Sanchez and Pablo Zabaleta will be released as they are at the end of their contracts and Albian Ajeti is also prime candidate who would generate some money, although whether it would equal the £8m we paid for him is unlikely.

Andriy Yarmolenko is another who has disappointed in the grand scheme of things. Flashes of brilliance but all too rare for me. Plus the amount of time he has spent on the treatment table has been frustrating.

Grady Diangana…(Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images)

And talking about treatment tables, surely we have come to the end of the road with Jack Wilshere. We wouldn’t get a fee for him, but his wages would be a huge saving if the firm could do a mutual deal. Arthur Masuaku and Fabian Balbuena could be on the list, too.

Those are the obvious candidates, but I believe Moyes could even add a few more. Manuel Lanzini for one. The little Argentine’s form has fallen off a cliff. A move could not only benefit him but us as well.

Ryan Fredericks might be a candidate for a move, too especially with Grady Jeremy Ngakia emerging and Ben Johnson now recovered from injury and ready to compete for the right back berth. With all of those gone, Moyes would have room to introduce the new breed of player he wants. And maybe he wouldn’t have to look too far or dig too deep for replacements.

Grady Diangana has been a revelation for West Bromwich Albion since his loan at the Hawthorns – one of the reason’s Slaven Bilic’s side are on the threshold of the Premier League.

Grady would come into a competitive midfield, but he has shown he has the talent to earn himself a regular place. Pace and work rate feature highly on Moyes’ requirement – Diangana has both – and more. Josh Cullen has continued to impress at Charlton. He too is very much a Moyes kind of player. I see him back next season as part of the first team squad.

Nathan Holland, too has done himself no harm learning his trade at Oxford. He was tipped as genuine first team material by Terry Westley, and I am not going to argue. Xande Silva has overcome his health issues and is another who would benefit from the elevation to first team squad.

There will of course be a necessity for some newcomers, but they will have to be the right kind of players, and we shouldn’t expect them to be big money buys.

The marquee signings demanded in the past have been kicked down the road. When football returns it’s likely to be a whole new landscape, and as supporters we have to recognise that. But it might just be one many of us will feel more comfortable with.

 

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!" Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

6 comments on “Moyes may have a nine man exit list

  1. Surely Roberto ! And possibly Hugill-almost a team !

  2. Excellent article. I’d sell Masuaku as he could bring in a reasonable fee. Sanchez and Roberto surely must go as they are so poor. We could also get a bit for Fredericks, now Johnson is back, and invest the money at left back. I’d let Ajeti and Hugill both go, and try to find a club for Yarmo. Wilshire looks a lost and very expensive cause. Balbuena is quite good cover, though – wouldn’t let him go just yet. But poor Lanzini needs a fresh start. Would like to see him succeed again, just not for another Premiership club!

  3. In normal times I might agree but suspect if there are players leaving it is more likely the big names to balance the books, Rice, Diop, Anderson if someone would take Yarmo, Lanzini or Wilshere possibly those too. I am not convinced by Diangana, Cullen, Silva, Holland etc they have potential but we need to see more consistency.

  4. Interesting post – but given Hugh’s subsequent post on financila meltdown – let us just hope that the club is able to survive

    The UK now has the 3rd highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 – I feel that any restart to the season is highly unlikely – and we are not sure a) what division we will play in next season and b) when next season will begin

    While we have Wiltshire on our wage bill I think that Man U still have Alexis Sanchez on theirs – at 4 times the cost

    I appreciate such columns as they help us to get distracted from the grim news – but really I dont think anyone – insider or not – really has any clue what will happen

  5. If they sell any of those three-with the possible exception of Anderson-though i would hope not-says to me not much ambition. You dont sell your best players if you want to suceed.

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