By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
Sometimes the best transfer business is the deal you don’t do, and West Ham may have just dodged a bullet with Reiss Nelson.
The Hammers had all but agreed a deal with Arsenal to sign the wide man. But despite everything being agreed, West Ham pulled out at the last minute due to fears over the player’s injury record.
In my opinion, this is absolutely the right thing to do.
West Ham have already signed an injury-prone winger in Manor Solomon, and therefore it’s absolutely correct that we should put provision in place for the inevitable times when he’s unavailable.
To have an understudy with an even worse injury record does seem like a risky move, and I have to commend the Hammers recruitment team for parking this one.
Solomon has a dodgy injury record so West Ham can’t afford his understudy to spend long periods out of action
Nothing against Nelson as a footballer
I actually think he’s a perfectly adequate player, and whilst his early promise never developed into him being an outstanding Premier League performer, I suspect he’d be a cut above in Championship football.
Indeed, the deal had progressed a long way. Claret & Hugh were told yesterday that the Nelson transfer was “90% done”, with everything agreed with the player but concerns remaining over the medical.
Far too many transfer links surrounding West Ham over the last month have involved injury-prone journeymen footballers on the wrong side of 25.
There is, of course, a slight risk that missing out on Nelson could hinder West Ham’s promotion push from the Championship. After all, there would have been little settling-in period. He’s played most of his career in London, aside from a couple of loan spells overseas, and he has that Ronseal appeal of doing exactly what it says on the tin.
I suspect Nelson, if fit, would have hit the ground running and been a decent player.
The bigger risk was signing him
His wages wouldn’t come cheap, and Nuno Espírito Santo really doesn’t want to find himself in a situation where his first-choice winger and understudy are both injured.
We also have to appreciate it’s going to be a long, arduous campaign even for Jarrod Bowen, and I suspect he won’t be able to play every game.
Therefore, when choosing which players to bring into the squad, using the significant funds raised by the sales of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville, I believe availability and fitness are just as important as ability.
For that reason, I believe Nils Koppen, or whoever else decided not to push ahead with the Nelson transfer, has done the right thing.
Sometimes walking away is the best deal you can make.