David Moyes has funds available to him if he wants to conclude a late transfer today but that is unlikely to happen.
The manager by his own admission has failed to lure a number of striker targets to East London over the winter transfer window including Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri who tuned down a Hammers approach.
Moyes has repeatedly said he only wants to add players who can add real quality to the current squad adding that those players are very hard to find in January.
He is aware that he cannot get a top level striker to join the club at this stage anyway as many in the top calibre would be unwilling to play second fiddle to Mikey Antonio.
They would also take the view that as highly regarded front men they would want a move to a club playing in Europe.
Moyes instead has gone for his former Manchester United player Jesse Lingard explaining that he can play in a number of positions across the front line.
The West Ham board have vowed not to interfere with the manager’s decisions insisting he is the only one in charge of transfer policy and no-one else.
Moyes has made that equally clear on several occasions of late but has been accused of simply doing what the board want him to do
Claret and Hugh understands and the manager would rather keep the money and add it to his summer budget rather than spend it at this stage on players he doesn’t feel can help his cause.
While he has continued to review the foreign loan market for a forward he is thought to believe that many of the options don’t offer anything better then he has available to him already in the form of the existing squad and Academy youngsters.
This has made me giggle..I think over the last 5 years I’ve heard the same statement a numberof times …will add to summer budget 🤣🤣🤣I remember the same thing with za za,s 20 million … not signing a striker will cost up a top 6 placec100% i will put money on it right now .. what a shame …can see gsb out coming nxt
I’m not going to throw my toys out the pram because we haven’t signed a striker. Moyes has a tight knit group with great team spirits and excellent results so far and I believe Yarmolenko could play up front quite successfully if needed. We also have the kid Mipo showing great promise and now there’s lingard too who could play as a striker I believe. So let’s save our money and add it to the kitty for the summer transfer window when better quality strikers might be available and West Ham might be a more attractive proposition for them having had a good league finish.
We must be the only club in premier with one forward on books who is a converted winger and has a history of dodgy hamstrings . We desperately need new owners
All the good work up till now will fade away WHEN not if Antonio gets injured..Beggers belief we have not purchased a proper striker unless Moyes thinks Lingard is the answer. it is clear to see Antonio is still not up to speed after coming back from injury and a top striker would have buried that early 2nd half chance after which the game quickly turned as Liverpool have Salah who rarely misses a half chance.Fine margins.
Exactly 64 but some people refuse to acknowledge this …its ridiculous..this will like you say put an end to our top 6 finish for sure..
So now we have noble as deputy striker and fredericks as dm?
Wee Davey is doing a grand job so far this season. Even without Antonio for a couple of months. We will probably finish around 10th at the end of the season if we stick with what we’ve already got. If we could add a ‘real’ centre forward for upwards of £40 million, we could probably finish around 10th at the end of the season and then be thinking we need a couple more proven class players to take us to the ‘next level’ (9th).
Michail Antonio is the best centre forward in the Premier League. He is awesome. He doesn’t deserve any trolling for not getting five against Palace – we won anyway – or for not getting balls played early into danger areas by Benrahma and Bowen. Liverpool game is dead and gone. If we carry on the rest of the season playing the sort of stuff we did against Palace, we will do really well (maybe 7th). Antonio will score loads. The others will chip in with loads, too. BUT the biggest win will be the enjoyment of all us fans watching a proper team playing entertaining and thrilling football.
Just saying !
COYI
The main problem is we are trying to sign a quality back up striker who knows they are only going to play if Antonio is injured. That is a really difficult signing. The same goes for Centre mid, anyone we bring in is behind rice and souchek. Trying to bring someone in without wasting precious funds who will not upset the great spirit we have is near on impossible signing. No wonder moyes is sticking with what he has.
So glad Moyes stopped Sullivan from wasting money buying surplus rubbish strikers like they have in the past. That he is prepared to wait until the right one becomes available in the summer is a great thing. It shows Moyes is not prepared to risk getting it wrong and being lumbered with players he doesn’t want. It shows we are not like Marseilles football club where they sold Morgan sanson and replaced him with a rubbish midfielder from Celtic, despite the manager Villa boas not wanting him. It shows Moyes is trying to do things the right way and not bowing to pressure whether it be the board or the fans. He wants quality signings that fit his criteria, his mood and he’s not willing to settle for anything less. It’s his reputation that has been damaged in the past by not getting the players he wanted and he’s not prepared to let that happen anymore and good on him.