Lowballing seemed to be the standard method of trying to acquire players in the bad old David Sullivan days. How often ridiculous offered were submitted and refused for West Ham transfer ‘targets’ as the ‘we tried’ excuse was wheeled out at the end of every Sullivan – overseen transfer window. With the notable exception of 2024 when the machinery inexplicably went in to reverse.
It seems now though the there’s a touch of the Sullivan’s about West Ham’s pursuit of midfielder Arne Engels. Three bids, apparently, have been made for the player valued by Celtic t £25 million. Indeed, the Scottish Champions turned down a bid of that figure in the winter transfer window when Nottingham Forest came knocking.
West Ham are in negotiations for Celtic’s midfielder but appear to be baulking at the price.
If Nuno wants him, with the clock ticking down on the season opener next weekend, Celtic’s stance is entirely understandable. West Ham did the same with Mateus Fernandes, demanding Spurs pay the price or walk away.
Now the tables are turned, it seems pointless dithering or foot-dragging, Easy spending other peoples’ money, of course, but the Hammers have a desperate need for a new midfielder with Fernandes and Potts gone and Soucek injured.
Celtic fan site thecelticbhoys.com concurs – of course:
“West Ham are not raising their offer at this stage, feeling they have offered fair value for Engels, who is said to want to make the move to the Championship side. But the Hammers are mistaken in their approach. Celtic don’t neew to cower to West Ham
West Ham are now a Championship club, and whether Engels wants the move or not, Celtic can hold firm in a way that they wouldn’t be able to if the interested club was a Newcastle or an Aston Villa.
Other Premier League clubs are said to be interested, and so Celtic can stand their ground and perhaps without upsetting Engels too much, given he could still get a move elsewhere.”
Celtic also know exactly how much cash the Hammers have banked from their three deals: Currently standing at £155 million incoming. Haggling over a couple of million seems short sighted and risks another hijack.
Nils Koppen, is that Belgian for “Nothing comin'”? Just wondered, languages were never my strong suit.
Every player has his value and it’s generally lower than the asking price. We wasted less money than we could have when we walked away from negotiating the purchase of the crab, only for Southampton to come back and accept our “lowball” offer. Should Tottscum have steamed in and paid our asking price for Kudus? Engels will end up being sold, and probably for less than £25m; and if it’s true that premier clubs are interested, we’ve no chance.
We should just rebrand ourselves as Tinpot United and be done with it.
Baroness “Business Brains” Botox and the equally moronic and repulsive snake oil charlatan vertically-challenged ex-adult industry “entrepreneur” David Sullivan did their utmost to make us as tinpot as possible.
It seems that we’re taking things even further now. I’m sick and tired of how two bob and pathetic we are as a club.
Our enormous and loyal fanbase deserves so much more than this.
Just pay the £25m for goodness sake!
Come on just get it done and move on.
Wish I had a couple of million £s with which to haggle let alone the initial offer price.
Expecting a team sheet after the window closes of:
Hermanson
KWP, JCT, Kilman, Scarles
Alvarez, JWP
Bowen*, Pablo, Cornet
Fullkrug
Can’t sell them for what they’ve cost, so take a profit on the talent that’s improved and make the others work for the money.
* Obviously the exception to the rule
I agree pay the asking price
If we are serious about going straight back up, we need some more quality to come in, to fill in the gaps for players sold
If you don’t get the offer in , signed and sealed, someone is going to step in and snap him up
Another good player we were so called trying to sign, with pathetic offers, of a hard up club with 140 million just gone in the bank
It makes me so angry, other clubs go in for a player and negotiate and but in days, but with us it takes the whole transfer window, and usually end up with nothing or desperate buys of players no one else wants, past their prime
Come on get the fans what the deserve some decent signings
Don’t really understand – if the player is wanted enough then pay the price! How many times have we missed out for the sake of a slightly higher fee – which we would recoup easily if we win promotion back to the PL! We are told that we are only going to sign good quality players that will improve the team – great! But that can’t be done on the cheap…. that penny doesn’t seemed to have dropped quite yet and it’s becoming a depressingly all too familiar scenario. Burnley on the horizon now – and it won’t be easy. They will be rival contenders for promotion. Last minute signings (if we get any) will have to slot in without any proper integration or preparation – hardly an ideal situation, but typical West Ham!!!
Too many Pablos in our history.
Unfortunately our new DOF seems to have been signed from the Muppet Show. Whoever thought he was suitable needs their head examined. No knowledge of Championship and needed to employ a special advisor to brief him. Seems to think the only market for players is Celtic.
I never thought anyone could be worse than Sullivan as far as transfer dealings are concerned but looks like I was wrong. Reminds of the Swiss guy who managed Spurs once (travelled to ground by tube) who was totally out of his depth or the French guy who managed Celtic last season and the Belgian who has turned Hearts into a laughing stock overnight. Adding in Nuno at the helm the London Stadium should be renamed the House of Fools!
100% MB, been saying this for a while. Gone from gung-ho Tim to this absolute muppet.
I’m struggling with the fact the Nuno and Mendes double act had some unbelievable talent signed from Portugal whilst in the Championship and yet we are one Pablo and a Veltmen better/worse off.
What’s worse is the players and prices being thrown around for Engels and Parrott are mind boggling (if true). If we pee £55m up the wall for those two questions will need to be asked.