Manuel Pellegrini was appointed West Ham manager on 22nd May 2018 and was sacked from his duties 28th December 2019.
In his first season, he oversaw the arrivals of Felipe Anderson £34m, Andriy Yarmolenko £18m Lukasz Fabianski £7m, Issa Diop £22m, Lucas Perez £4m, Fabian Balbuena £3.5m, Xand Silva £1.5m, Jack Wilshere Free, Roberto Free, Carlos Sanchez Free, Ryan Fredericks Free and Samir Nasri Free.
In his second season in charge, he added Sebastian Haller for £45m and Pablo Fornals for £25m Albain Ajeti £8m, Goncalo Cardoso £2.5m
Just three of Pellegrini’s signings started in the last two games – Fabianksi, Balbuena and Fornals who cost £35m between them.
Another £85m worth sat at the bench yesterday in form of Haller, Diop and Yarmolenko.
The likes of Wilshere, Perez, Roberto, Sanchez, Nasri and Ajeti are already gone with Anderson and Silva out on loan this season.
It remains to be seen if Pablo Fornals keeps his place when Said Benrahma is deemed ready in which case the Pellegrini influence could reduce to just two players who cost under £10m.
It appears that one by one the Pellegrini players are being replaced by David Moyes as he reshapes his squad.
Good! DM far outweighs MP is ever way. It’s clear that DM loves football. It’s clear he thinks about the sport more often that not. It’s clear he has a real footballing brain and we all saw this during his time at Everton. It’s clear that MP was in it for the money and actually took the complete urine out of WHU and us fans. It’s also clear there are some vocal ‘fans’ out there who still think DM isn’t the man to take us forward. In my humble opinion, these people are not only dimwitted but they have no sense of reality and probably still think that Wilshere’s should’ve been given a chance after his pathetic whining and overall incompetence on the pitch! We’re all entitled to our opinions of course, so that’s mine in regards to anyone who is anti DM. We have seen a massive improvement since he came in for the second time. He has players match fit, he has players playing for the shirt, he has players playing in their best positions. I sometimes go on other so called footballing sites – however the bias from these talentless journalists, shows just how unprofessional and worthless, certain online platforms have become over the last few years. Football Fancast is typical of this – just today I skimmed a pathetic article blaming Moyes for the departure of the aggravating and much over-hyped Jack Wilshere. Most real footballing fans knew that Wilshere had to go – he was an overpaid liability and when he did play he was below average. Good riddance to him. Kyle Archer, who wrote the article, clearly has no footballing knowledge and is part of the anti DM brigade. Shocking biased article from a guy who clearly knows nothing about anything, ever! The same can be said for the guy who runs the Hammers News site…again a clear anti DM so called WHU fan. Why can’t these idiots, who have a voice and who could actually help enhance the team and their confidence overall, work against WHU and do their bit to make matters worse? Sure, if we’re playing poorly and losing, with no energy and with the pathetic levels we had when MP was in charge, then I’d be first to call out Moysey…but he has improved this squad ten fold. He is the man to take us forward. I am seeing remnants of his Everton days already…this is what we need. Stability and growth. If people cannot see this, then they need go follow another sport as they clearly have no idea about football or WHU. WHU fan sites as with other team’s fan sites, will be biased of course, but sports journalists in general need to start showing more professionalism in their writing, or should be held to account for their misleading, tedious, one sided viewpoint on the mighty hammers! COYI – Just to add, I am more than happy to debate the above mentioned and have a reasonable discussion about the pros and cons of DM…there are clearly more pros right now…my only qualm is that we get a new majority shareholder who isn’t an arrogant incompetent and who will give DM full support and backing for the nest several years!
I agree with much of what you say and am a big fan of Moyes. I like reading opposing opinions because these people see the game differently from me.
For example:
Fornals can create, he is just too busy learning the defensive part of his position, something neither Anderson nor Lanzini ever did.
Bowan is great but he when he runs out of steam he doesn’t track back. Creates inconsistency in defence which is why, I believe, he was moved to CF and then to the bench.
Yes, I agree in regards to opposing opinions and I am all for that – as long as there is substance and a dose of reality involved with the argument. Debating things is exciting and there are always two sides. My problem is with biased ‘writers’ who spout continuous nonsense with no actual substance. I was happy when WHU appointed Pellegrini I have to say – after that first season I felt quite optimistic…but then during the summer when the likes of Roberto came in and when MP failed to consider topping up our defence, I soon realise, like most of us, that the guy was way out of his depth. I imagine Sullivan was running around after MP like a giggling female in the company of her first fella – but fair play to them also for going back to DM and even more fair play for DM taking us back on. This shows the guys character and reflects how much he loves football 🙂 It’s fun being a hammer right buddy? COYI
Agree 100%…..
A source of irritation with me, are the many West Ham news feeds which set out to shock and mislead because they are click driven and because actual real news doesn’t attract as many clicks on their websites.
Also, many You Tubers persist with the “I’m NOT a fan of David Moyes… But…”
I wonder to myself, why??? Are they hoping that if they say this long enough and we hit a bad patch, they will be proved right….in the end?
This annoys me as we are meant to be supporters and want the best for this club. We now have a manager that we have needed for some considerable time, a competent Pragmatic manager who is actually ticking every box in what we all wanted in a manager of this club. I find these unecessary put downs of him strange and annoying.
I would also like to say that I also remember the point at which I first realised that Pellegrini was hopeless and clueless rolled into one (funny enough it was those same transfers during that summer).
I also agree that it was a Big gesture for a small man for Sully to ask Moyes back for a second time…. and an even Bigger show of character for Moyes to accept the post and come back, having been publicly humiliated in not getting the job first time around.
Well said Jersey Hammer, I read the same article written Kyle Archer and thought it was obviously not written by a football, even Arsenal fans agree that Jack is unfortunately not a reliable player anymore. But more to the point from the feeling of impending doom when our fixtures came out to the feeling all West Ham fans should be feeling right now its amazing and makes you realise how much pride we can have being a West Ham fan, when we’re playing the way we are getting the results we’re getting we’re able to look forward to games with a new optimism and surely that’s what all about, looking forward to the weekend again in a different more enthused way, COYI keep it up and keep making us proud ⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️⚒️
Yes buddy indeed. As I just mentioned to GaryD, I don’t mind opposing voices and I love to debate, but not with biased journo wannabees, that have the writing talent of a lobotomised pikey. This Kyle Archer character is not only biased but has a clear agenda on behalf of one of our worst players over the last few years. Not the worst as we had Roberto and Sanchez…but Jack was pretty below average when he was with us. The way he’s acted since being paid off has been unacceptable too…he isn’t that good a player anymore and the sooner he buggers off to the US the better. When I scan over poor articles these days, I just blank the sites out in general and never waste my time on them again. There is always room for healthy debate, but not with one sided snowflakes who are likely to burst into tears if one disagrees with them. I also have the same inclination towards the guy who spouts garbage on the Hammers News site. The author there tends to be anti DM too and has digs at him even when we are performing like we war. Surely as a proper fan he would admit that he could be wrong about Moysey but he just digs away. Whilst I’d like to hear why this muppet feels that way, I still read the odd article there that may have some credibility. I just really dislike one sided, weak, lazy journalism. Those types that are on par with politicians and lawyers – Anyway I’ll stop being a grumpy t**t now and have to agree with you without doubt – hammers management and squad making is all proud. Any team is beatable this season – and there’s no reason why we cant do Liverpool. Will be tough just as yesterday was, but a point or three would be most satisfying. One final thing – the owners should get Ricey signed up on double his salary and tie him in for the long term. Plus gives Moysey a new contract too. With all that signed and sealed, it will show their intent and take the bad taste away from other things they did or didn’t do in the summer. Then stipulate that Rice ain’t for sale but the price on his head is 100 million and no less. If we compete for Europe every year, Ricey and the other talent we have will stay…DM is the man to take us to that point…COYI
That meant to say Kyle Archer ain’t no football fan! 🙃🤪
Interesting article Sean – I am a fan of Moyes as I have pointed out in this forum before – and one of his strengths is treating players fairly without worrying about who bought them – I think that Balbuena is a good example of this – even before recalling him to the team when Diop was Covid-19 positive, Moyes made Balbuena captain for the Carabao cup
Sure Pellegrini made some stupid signings, but those who are any good and who are prepared to work will find a place under Moyes – over the season we will need more than 11 players and I am sure that players like Issa Diop and Pablo Fornals will have a role to play
Sorry didn’t read all of the other comments but read the article & I want to make a point that Pablo Fornals is one of our best performers on a regular basis & if Saïd comes in it shouldn’t be at his expense, I’d rather move him into a central role where I think he’ll be more effective. More like the no10 role he played before he became a hammer, think he’d work back as well as forward. Most understated current starter.
Love coming on here & Reading the comments from real west ham fans, like many fans I was concerned MP was given the boot too soon & was concerned at the arrival of DM, I was also critical of Fornals, but DM has shown he knows what he’s doing & he’s more than shown his commitment to the club, Fornals has shown his quality, hard working & talented, he can play anywhere on that pitch, clearly there’s a question mark over Haller & Anderson, even Noble, but this team, that’s beaten wolves & Leicester, drawn against the spuds & man city doesn’t need picking apart, Benrahma is there to strengthen it not alter it so Fornals shouldn’t be benched, I watch every match that I can not just hammers matches & I can honestly say without bias that since the restart West Ham have been one of the most exciting teams to watch, their creative play, energy with & without the ball, not a single player I wouldn’t want playing in that team, I firmly believe that’s all down to the hard work of DM & his excellent staff, after what the hammers have done so far to 4 of the top half teams from last season not forgetting almost ( robbed) beating ARSEnal, I’m really looking forward to what they can do to the rest of the PL clubs, on a side note, Rice isn’t going anywhere, the future captain of the England squad is staying right where he’s meant to be, proudly wearing a West Ham utd shirt.