Brentford have once again been linked with El Hadji Malick Diouf, and this time the whispers claim they’re ready to go as high as £37 million. It’s a bizarre rumour considering the Bees already have four players who operate in that role: Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter, and Jayden Megohma.
Megohma, who spent last season on loan at Glasgow Rangers, would actually be a smart option for West Ham if Brentford genuinely want to do business. A similar loan could suit all parties, especially with the Hammers’ squad now creaking under the weight of want-away players.
Diouf Adds To Nuno’s Problems
Diouf himself is becoming part of the problem. After reportedly showing a bad attitude in training, he was left out of the squad for the Charlton Athletic match over the weekend. He joins a growing list of players who appear to have little interest in playing Championship football, leaving Nuno Espírito Santo battling issues on and off the pitch.
Dioufis far from the only player to show a bad attitude in training
With other clubs pushing hard to complete their transfer business, it’s baffling that West Ham aren’t being more proactive. The risk of missing out and being left in a desperate position when the window shuts is rising by the day.
One potential solution is Jacques Ecomie, the Gabon international at Angers. His contract expires next June, meaning he’s available for a bargain fee. There are mixed reports regarding links to the player, but hesitation may already have cost West Ham. Wrexham have reportedly made an offer, and that could be the end of that opportunity.
Logically, with 44 league matches still to play and only Scarles available in that position if Diouf leaves, Nuno should be pushing to seal a deal now. Scarles could move further forward, Diouf could be used flexibly if he stays, and the squad would finally have some stability.
Want-Away Players Pose Another Problem
The bigger issue is looming, as once the window closes, any want-away players who remain will need to be reintegrated. That’s a messy situation waiting to happen.
West Ham’s transfer budget has turned out to be far smaller than expected, largely because boardroom delays held up a planned £90m loan from Daniel Křetínský, funding that would have eased the club’s financial pressure. Although the loan wouldn’t have directly boosted the transfer pot under SCR rules, it would have covered losses, debt, and cash-flow obligations, allowing a greater share of player-sale revenue to be reinvested into the squad.
As a result, more player movement has been necessary than originally expected, with debts needing to be addressed first. The situation has caused frustration for both Nuno and the recruitment team, who are trying to rebuild a squad with limited resources and even less time.
Three Loan Slots Offer West Ham A Solution
With Joel Piroe on loan with an obligation and Divine Mukasa on a season-long loan, Nuno still has three more loan slots to play with, and that avenue might be the quickest fix for his threadbare squad.
Options could include players such as Jayden Dixon at Arsenal, who is comfortable operating both at right-back and centre-back. Luke Chambers at Liverpool offers coverage on the left, having impressed during previous loan spells at Charlton and Wigan. Dário Essugo, the Portuguese U-21 international midfielder at Chelsea, is another loan option currently available.
Yet the bottom line is that there are no excuses left.
The problem is common to relegated teams. Do you sweep away players immediately and risk not getting replacements or wait till players are sold before recruiting.
The risk of the latter strategy is that you end up with poorly motivated players who want out and negatively impact the team and squad and not enough new players, if you can’t move them on.
This is where we are now.
Strange how these work-shy players have milked their wages all summer before downing tools. They should have to pay those wages back if they find another club. I have started to really dislike the type of footballers WHU have brought in in recent seasons. Their new clubs will soon regret their new aquisition.
Am I the only 1 that thinks Nuno is the problem
Far too many want to leave OR refuse to play under him
I can’t help but think the drop in divisions is just an excuse being used by some of them
If you read some of the other articles and the reader’s comments then you would not have to ask if you are the only one that thinks Nuno is the problem. But the answer is no, almost everybody on here thinks NUNO IS THE PROBLEM. At least 75% of the problem in my opinion.
Did anyone sit down with the squad after relegation and say who is up for staying? Or did they simply conclude that if players kept quiet they are staying? It all seems a typical West Ham mess now, no time to buy but enough time to lose players.
Another thing, I guess we should be saying Koppen instead of Nuno now when criticising transfer activity
Matt – Please remember Kretinsky could have avoided all of this. He agreed a deal to buy the Gold Family shares at the beginning of June and never delivered on it. Everything that’s happened since is as a direct result of Kretinsky not following through. He opened the door to Staveley, he told us about not having to sell players for financial reasons, he promised us the transfer budget was not impacted by anything going on at board level, and all whilst we were putting our hands in our pockets to renew season tickets. And don’t get me started on that embarrassing photo of Bowen with Kretinsky – All comes back to one man and his refusal to invest his own money in our club whilst we pour millions in. Maybe he can share a cab to Stansted with Nuno sooner rather than later?
I do understand your frustration.
However, we don’t know what Gold’s financial status is. Sudden loss of her father and sister in quick succession surely must have left a huge void for her to fill.
Especially if either or both were leveraging expenditure.
Another opportunist entity has approached and offered to buy all of the available shares at an inflated price. She’s accepted, as is her perogative.
DK, is a passive investor who put in place a deal to suit himself and in turn, shore up the clubs finances as Matt stated in his post. Regrettably for him (DK) he’s been blindsided by AS.
In short it’s a mess that needs cleaning up. That’s going to take time and patience to sort out.
Transfer business is on the back burner.
For me it was inevitable that it would be a malaise, primarily due to not having a functional experienced executive team in place during the GSB era, the appointment of the inexperienced interim CEO and Head of recruitment was like placing a band aid plaster on a one cm wide gash in the middle of a forehead.
We are where we are due to 16 years and counting of substandard custodianship.
Is this a boardroom problem, or is it a dysfunctional relationship between Nuno and Koppen? Nuno has always been his own man, working with his favourite agent. I’m getting a real sense of de ja vu here. Comparisons with how David Moyes dragged his heels over transfers before eventually throwing his hand in over the appointment of Tim Steidten are looming large in my mind. Even the dour attitude of both manager and players on the pitch has an uncomfortably familiar feel.
I continually read about “want away players” and have to think is it about the smaller wages they now recieve, the ignominity of playing at a lower level or is it because they have all fallen out with the manager? I’m suspecting that it is the latter and if that is indeed the case surely the most cost effective option is to part ways with Nuno. There are far better man managers out there than our current coach so why the he’ll don’t we go for them. I ran my own company for over 20 years and if I reacted as badly as I read Nuno does to the odd misdameanor or insult it would never have been as successful as it was. If he can’t manage these players, for God’s sake show him the door!
Wrexham beating us to a transfer Coventry beating us to a transfer Southend next….and all this is DK’s fault and he has thrown a hissy fit because of it…so now the excuses start and for me unhappy players or not unless we get our price they stay and once the window is shut and they have no option i would not play them regardless let them rot in Academy football cut our nose off to spite our face maybe but someone needs to get these egotistical players in line and tell them the truth..YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH you are the reason we got relegated because of your poor performances over an entire season so get used to not playing competitive football again until your attitude changes…of course that will not happen but nice thought if it did….and one final note any club wanting the players on loan well wages paid in full and a big loan fee otherwise do not bother calling us.
Nothing here I can disagree with Pat. Make Diouf train away from the first team squad (all 6 of them) and hold out for top dollar. If we don’t get it, offer him the opportunity to reintegrate subject to him making a public apology for his behaviour. Only then will you prevent players from using this tactic to force a move. Babies. Diouf is young and will learn, unlike Todibo who is just rotten to the core.
However there are too many players falling foul of Nuno, Potter and Lop for me. Red flag. Something seriously wrong within our club over multiple managers. Need to identify what it is and root it out. Alongside bringing in a few experienced players with leadership qualities because there are NONE showing any leadership currently. Bowen skippering is madness, as we saw in the 93rd minute on Saturday. No more.