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Outstanding Irons make new signings a tough job

As we head towards a new transfer deadline – that between English clubs – perhaps we need to be a little more realistic when trying to understand why we don’t get certain players.

I understand there are those who claim the state of the club has something to do with it although there are far more pragmatic reasons than that.

Right now, we know we are looking at defenders and strikers with Josh King becoming a prominent name in our thinking – personally, I’d love to see him in claret and blue.

But I worry that should we get injuries in midfield, for example, we now have no one to replace our top men.

I have often screamed for something to be sorted but here’s the reality; top defensive midfielders, for example, won’t come to West Ham knowing they have no chance of getting into the team unless Dec or Tomas and indeed Fornals get injured!

The same is true at the back – no player will replace Oggy or, at his best Issa Diop, whilst Balbuena looks far more at home in a back three of which Cresswell is a definite part.

However, there is more likelihood of a player eventually accepting given that Oggy is now 32 and the form of the other two can, let’s say, be indifferent.

The funds are available and the club is reportedly looking but I remain more concerned about the midfield, understanding fully that in Dec and Tomas we have two of the best in the PL and no player is likely to sacrifice regular first-team football for the Hammers bench.

It’s ironic that the outstanding form of those two is probably the major reason we can’t sign anyone of serious quality.

 

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

9 comments on “Outstanding Irons make new signings a tough job

  1. I love Noble but am over the moon we finally don’t have to rely on him and instead can have him as club representative and squad player, also Connor Coventry is a hell of a prospect so there’s the cover I’d like to see,

    Really good points though in this article ⚒

  2. Good article Hugh – and very true – but we do need some cover – something like a utility player who could slot in anywhere – but I am not sure that such players still exist

    I really think that Josh Cullen could have done the job of covering for Rice & Soucek but maybe that wouldn’t have been fair on him

    Not sure that I have the answer

  3. I agree Hugh, with the new formation I think those 2 midfield slots have the least back up especially now Cullen has gone. Maybe Coventry can do a job there, I’ve not seen enough of him.

    Agree on King also, think he would add pace and power to the squad plus he can play central or wide.

  4. Great article Hugh and an interesting analysis. With you on Josh King I just feel he is a fit – would not be unhappy with Cook as defensive cover if we could get him.

  5. I don’t see the loss of the players other than Diagana making any difference to the 1st team squad, most of them did or have not played.
    I also don’t get your comments on the defence.
    We have been conceding on averaging 2-3 goals a game for about 4 seasons , it’s killing us.
    Moyes is playing 3 CB’s And 2 full backs because they aren’t good enough to play as a 4 or with 2CB’s.
    Moyes has had to do this to cover for lack of pace and ability.
    Unless you have been watching a different team for the last three years, other than Ogbonna recently the rest are average at best.

    • I think Moyes is playing the 3 at the back formation because it’s the best system for his players. That’s what good managers do I would say, they get the best results from the players they have by playing a system that suits them, just like Wolves have done for a few years and Sheff Utd did last season too.

      In the last 2 games against two top 8 clubs (Wolves & Leicester) we’ve kept clean sheets and players like Cresswell (who I was starting to write off) and Masuaku are being played in positions that is getting the best from them. Good management if you ask me.

  6. Good article, and why I believe Ngakia left, and the young defender from Chelsea wouldn’t sign as there were no guarantees of playing time

  7. This is why i don’t understand the clamour from fans to keep wanting to buy players. Reminds me somewhat of being a kid at Christmas and wanting a decent pair of Adidas trainers and having to settle for my brother’s Gola hand-me-downs. My parents weren’t wealthy enough to buy me something that wouldn’t have fit after 6 months There’s no point in spending money for the sake of it. Why bring in Tomori, not play him and pay 50k for the privilege every week? Surely the point of having a youth system is that once a player gets to 18 or 19 he can be deemed either good enough for the team, need to go out on loan or deemed not good enough to make it and moved on.

    Coventry seems to be highly thought of by coaches, including Terry Westley, therefore he can be the back up for the two midfielders we have. Snoddy is there too, as a back up. I actually think we’re only light up top and if King came in he’d be a great acquisition, but again, alluding to your point Hugh, would he want to sit on the bench?

    I also think Dawson isn’t the worst signing for £4m, the more i think of it. Again, he’d be a back up. I’d like to know why Cardoso isn’t deemed good enough to be a back up though. Again, if he isn’t, either loan him out or move him on.

    My last point it this. What if, in 12 months, we still aren’t at a place where fans can go to stadiums? Many clubs could go under, including Premier League ones. Those who didn’t overspend would be in a better place to survive. Any business which wantonly doesn’t plan for all eventualities in these current turbulent times puts itself at considerable risk of going under. I’d rather have owners who kept tight pursestrings than those who didn’t and put the future of the club at risk.

  8. We’ve got Conor Coventry could cover rice or souchek. Plus we still have Noble for what he’s worth.

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