Forget the ‘power battle’ at West Ham United for moment. Talk of share allocations, billionaires jockeying for position and boardroom deadlocks are all very well, but with season tickets now up for sale, supporters have every right to wonder who they will be watching on the pitch next season.
Fans are still unsure as to likely summer ‘incomings’ as the Hammers evidently have wholesale player departures at the front of their mind following relegation. However, for Nuno Espírito Santo to have stayed there has to have been a discussing about the likely shape of his squad come the start of August when West Ham will begin their season.
Which is why Claret and Hugh’s article yesterday concerning Swansea striker Jan Vopotnik caught my eye. He’s a player whom West Ham have been watching for a considerable length of time and in fact ran the rule over in the winter of 25/6. At the time he was discarded in favour of Taty and Pablo instead.
How C and H covered the Vipotnik story earlier in the year
Those oddly prophetic words of earlier in the year have now come back to haunt me:
“Reportedly the Hammers’ recruitment team are keeping a watching brief on the 24 year old who – whisper it quietly – might be an option to move for – in the worst case scenario of the Hammers having to play in the championship next season.”
D’oh.
Callum Wilson’s departure in search of his missing five Premier League goals (to join the PL100 club) means the Irons need a striker from somewhere. £15 million would likely be offset by selling Pablo to the (surprising) Premier League suitors already interested. Given the choice, supporters eyeing up their ST renewals would surely rather watch the Championship-proven Vipotnik than the industrious but clumsy Pablo.
Which makes the cynical amongst us wonder if this is likely to be another one of ‘those’ stories designed to raise expectations and ticket sales. Time will tell.
This has got Gyokeres II written all over it, for Coventry read Swansea.