By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
Whilst last week was probably a little too early to start labelling West Ham’s transfer window as poor, it would also be premature now to herald all of Nils Koppen’s purchases as a success.
That said, there were promising signs in yesterday’s win against Derby County which suggest Koppen may be doing a better job than he’s been given credit for.
Five of the team that started at the London Stadium were summer signings and, whisper it quietly, they all did pretty well.
Koppen’s New Boys Are Starting To Deliver
Joël Veltman began the game at right-back and continues to look like an astute acquisition on a free transfer.
That’s becoming something of a theme with the Dutchman. I wrote after the Southampton game that Veltman had made himself almost undroppable, and I’ve seen little since to change my mind.
Arne Engels began the game alongside the talented Divine Mukasa in central midfield and performed very well.
Engels was Koppen’s number one midfield target and West Ham paid a Championship-record £22m to get him. When I looked at Engels before his arrival, his set-piece quality and energy were the attributes that stood out. We’re beginning to see them.
£5million signing Manor Solomon may not have managed an end product against Derby, but he was threatening throughout and had a very good game.
That leaves Joël Piroe, who may not have been as involved as some of his teammates but did the important job of sticking the game-winning goal into the back of the onion bag.
Austbo scored for West Ham
Austbø Gives Koppen Another Boost
Then factor in an excellent performance off the bench from Edvin Austbø, who walked away with a goal and an assist.
The 21-year-old was exactly the type of signing I wanted West Ham to make this summer: young, quick and with the potential to become considerably more valuable.
Austbø’s performance was particularly encouraging because Koppen had been pushing for the Norwegian winger well before the transfer window closed.
Nobody should be getting carried away.
As I wrote when assessing all nine of West Ham’s new arrivals, there were parts of the transfer window I liked and others I wasn’t particularly impressed with.
Two Championship wins don’t suddenly make every decision correct.
But Veltman looks an excellent free transfer, Engels is beginning to show why Koppen wanted him so badly, Solomon has given us a genuine threat from the left and Piroe is scoring goals.
Now Austbø has come off the bench with a goal and an assist.
It’s far too early to declare Nils Koppen’s first West Ham transfer window a success, but the early signs are starting to look a lot more promising.
Really hope that Nils Koppen has not completed his contribution for the season. He should be, and probably is, updating the squad requirements and getting feedback from everyone at West Ham so that we are totally on the ball as we progress.
Still on a learning curve and every day is a school day. Intimate knowledge of the project on a daily basis is vital and a tremendous quality to have in Nils’ position.
Maybe keeping close tabs on free agents is the current quest. Just in case or if there is anyone available to improve the staff we already have. Nuno should be able to identify the coaching staff who need to come in.
So far so very good. Keep it going. No more Tim Steidtens though. We can’t afford them.
Nobody can.
COYI
Solomon had a decent game yesterday and was up against a quick very physical defender. Thought he might have got nearer a through ball in second half but seemed to pullout a bit. As with others, it would be good to see him confident enough to shoot rather than try to walk the ball through a usually congested penalty area.
They all look decent and of course too early to make fair judgements.
However, Manor Solomon had a decent track record with assists, particularly while at Leeds in the Championship, but his EXPECTED Assist stats are very high throughout his career demonstrating he does indeed have an end product. You can create chances but it’s down to others to convert them into goals.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion Gonzo, but in my eyes his first transfer window was definitely a success. Especially considering the financial constraints he was forced to work under due to Vanessa Gold pulling out of the Kretinsky deal. Just that itself caused a major lack of investment from DK and a lack of funds. It meant us having to sell to pay off debts and generate a transfer budget, instead of the £90 million investment that would have made a big difference.
COYI
Not sure about Soloman. Quick feet, good change of direction to create space but zero end product most of the time. Lacks half a yard to be really dangerous and probably why he is not quite PL level. Good player to have in the squad and his close control and running does create space for others but like I say lacks the killer pass and finishing along with speed to produce goals. Think he may end up as understudy to Asbo 🤔🤭