This is not the time for an Irons panic

By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings

Like most West Ham supporters I’m hoping to see at least a couple more additions to the first team squad before the transfer window closes on 1^st September – still more than four weeks away.

No doubt the endless speculation and plethora of reported interest in a wide variety of players will continue right up to the witching hour of 11pm on closure day. Then – and only then – can we make a definitive judgement on what business David Moyes, aided by Rob Newman, has done this summer.

Someone on here recently suggested only the ‘dregs’ were left in the market for us to pore over. Then  we bought Gianluca Scamacca which blew that idea straight out of the water.

There is still business to be done, decent business in fact, but doing it with all its complexities of transfer fees, add-ons, bonuses, sell-ons, player wages – not to mention agent’s fees – getting a deal completed and over the line is a lot easier said than done.

We have of course already secured the services of exciting newcomers Nayef Aguerd, Scamacca and Flynn Downes – as well as tying up Alphonse Areola on a permanent contract – but despite that I have seen some claiming we are approaching the start of the season with a weaker squad than last term. That’s simply not true.

The four first team squad players to depart so far are Andriy Yarmolenko, Alex Kral, Ryan Fredericks and the retiring Mark Noble, who amassed just 686 minutes of Premier League football between them last season. So not exactly first team regulars.

Scamacca and Aguerd have been bought to be just that. Sadly of course Nayef picked up an injury that will delay his appearance – but he’s been purchased for the long term future that’s clear.

Flynn Downes, unlike the other two, is unlikely to be guaranteed a starting place, but it’s a fair bet his younger legs and greater energy will see him used equally as much, if not more, than Nobes was. And let’s be honest, Kral contributed virtually nothing anyway.

With Connor Coventry and Harrison Ashby staking their own claims for squad inclusion, which should delight those regularly calling for our youngsters to be given more of a chance, the squad even now is looking stronger not weaker than it was.

David Moyes doesn’t need to be constantly told what  requires doing .I think the manager and his coaching team will have worked that out for themselves.

He will be pleased with his business so far – and rightly so – but he’ll be working hard on improving his squad even more in the remaining weeks of the window. He’s not panicking yet – neither should we be.