West Ham Head of Recruitment Kyle Macaulay stands no chance of succeeding in his new role given the limitations and restrictions placed upon him.
This is the view of a transfer insider who has spoken to C&H following our report on Macaulay’s progress—and he hasn’t held back.
Earlier, we noted the struggles being encountered by the new Hammers recruitment team of Macaulay and Graham Potter in their pursuit to sign players for West Ham.
Claret & Hugh were told this afternoon: “Kyle is trying, he’s meeting players’ representatives but is completely unable to negotiate because he doesn’t have any money.”
“He’s new to the job and wasn’t even a scout before, which is the usual way someone would work their way up. So he’s had to start meeting people and making contacts from scratch.”
Our source continued: “But West Ham won’t buy until they’ve sold players, so the whole thing is a waste of everyone’s time.”
“He [Macaulay] has met several agents of players but he can’t offer transfer fees to their clubs yet and can’t fully discuss wages. It has been a process of declaring intent in certain players for when West Ham do eventually make some sales, but at the moment it’s a waste of everyone’s time. To say some targets have been left underwhelmed is an understatement.”
Certainly, we were left in little doubt that West Ham’s sell-to-buy policy is becoming a major issue and a hindrance to transfer negotiations. Without the Hammers finding the means to fund an early spend, nothing will be happening anytime soon.
Every West Ham supporter and his dog, as well as Macaulay and Potter knows, for the model of buying young players with higher future sell on values then there must be financial flexibility and the ability to get deals done early. Potter needs the new players to bed in over preseason.
Only, it seems the only person not to know this is the person in charge of the purse strings. Has Macaulay and Potter been set up to fail? What did Sullivan actually get Macaulay in for? Potter isn’t his man, Lopetigui was. Does he have one eye on saying well I tried to implement the Macaulay model and it failed, just like the self fulfilled prophecy of the Steidten project being deliberately set up to fail. If I can’t get my way I’m going to stamp my feet and not play nice. If I can’t use my preferred player agents close circle of friends, then I’m going to make it as difficult as possible for you to succeed.
So far the signs don’t look good and it appears the self destruction button is being pressed ahead of what should be a crucial rebuild of immense proportions. Perhaps I’m seeing things too negatively and this transfer window will turn out OK. What I do know, however, is that Potter will need a good preseason with the vast majority of his new players in to get his footballing philosophy off to a good start. That now looks odds on to be a failure in itself.
Maybe if we kept Steident, this wouldn’t have been an issue.
Sully is useless and has to sell his shares.
I really cant understand how he made money before as if this is how he runs businesses, it’s shocking.
Whoopee another wonder kid on the way for £11m from Reims who narrowly missed relegation.
Adam Bojang.
Is this suppose to get everything throbbing?
The only way this is all heading is relegation.
Everything about this once great club now is just tin pot,we are an embarrassment…..honestly the one constant in this bs era of our club and why we are in such a mess is Sullivan, unfortunately we will always be run like a Circus as long as he’s in charge.
He has absolutely killed anything this club once had,the passion the pride of being West Ham has gone….us West Ham fans are a family, we cared but unfortunately and I will blame the move to that soulless bowl too many once die hard fans are now falling out of love with it all and you can’t blame us,the footballs been turgid at best for 2 years now,the atmosphere at home is non existent and we have been continually taking the pisss out of by Sullivan with countless claims of we tried to sign this player and that player with ridiculous low ball offers which are always going to be rejected just look at the debacle surrounding Durans transfer last summer its an absolute joke and a shambles and now we’ve got no money so whoooppeee let’s go shopping on the free agents list and pick up Lindeloff at the back with Vardy and Callum Wilson up top….joke club…sick of it
I’m lost for words, 16th richest club in Europe my patootee. There is nothing to make you feel good about being a Hammer as things stand, just wish Sullivan would sell and leave, he is doing to us what he did to Birmingham.
Two years ago following the conference win we were in a position where players were interested in joining us. That is no longer the case, everyone knows next season will be a relegation battle.
Potter wants to change the way we play wand wants to completely change the squad. This is a just not possible in one window. He needs to sell Kudus for £50m and reinvest that in a striker and a midfielder. Hope the likes of Potts and Earthy can make the step up. I think that is the only way we will have a chance of staying up
This window Macaulay is being blamed for being ‘new to the job’ – but we’ve had countless managers, heads of recruitment, technical directors etc over the years. All had the same issues every window. This site and certain others does the clubs bidding every window with the pleading poverty routine.
There’s been only one constant at West Ham, yet he avoids criticism from this site entirely (I wonder why). And despite shacking Macaulay with an impossible task, that very individual at some point will declare that he has no choice but to step in and take the lead on transfers, as if he’s some sort of saviour, and that’s when you’ll see the likes of Callum Wilson rock up and anyone else that gets recommended from his agent mates.
Spot on.. the chairman is everything wrong with this club. I have slowly lost all love for the club. It is so predictable constantly using sites like this to push his agenda. I wonder if Sullivan realises how despised he is and nobody believes him. It will run exactly like that. Slag of potter and mcauley saying they can’t make signings. He will step in late on and fill the squad with cheap old players on big wages his agent mates are flogging.
Fact he can’t see we are in this mess because of him. Maybe trust the recruitment team to buy the players and if they are younger and perform he will have assets to sell in the future. But no he thinks he knows best. I think ugly protests are needed to force him out.
Many true Westham fans employed by the club realize that the whole approach to running a club is flawed and fractured . The no sale no buy strategy is doomed to failure . What player would want to come to a club run so amateurishly , clearly failing and coached by a dour and boring man . Signing players would not be easy even with a proven ‘ closer ‘ like Steidten and so to hope that Macaulay with zero experience and zero contacts can magically succeed with no ability to negotiate a fee or wages is ridiculous . Westham will end up signing sick notes , oap’s and the dregs as the season starts with the excuse for poor results being ” We had no preseason ” .
Not run like a circus anymore
I cant believe your “transfer insider” has anything to do with the club saying things like “the whole thing is a waste of everyone’s time” I mean come on. Nobody so negative could be involved in our transfers surely. What an absolute joke. I mean if that was the case you’d keep it to yourself wouldn’t you.
The club despite the large stadium will always act like a small club and will now after selling the family silver because the rest has been frittered away we will return to being a yo yo club Sullivan has more than made his money and as expected has never put a penny of capital into the club he actually bought it with would you believe it an over the top interest loan pretty much like a loan shark , now due to his mismanagement of the club it’s in dire straits and needs a cash injection from the board, but we all know were not getting it this window has proved beyond doubt Sullivan is a busted flush as chairman and needs removing because under his stewardship were heading straight to the championship
The negative and repetitive reporting on here is getting tiresome. The board and the joke of a chairman have always mismanaged the club and nothing will change while Sullivan, (our own Kim Jong Un) and his future dynasty have any part to play in this club.
No one really wants to do business with us, so expect a poor transfer window and be done with it. No more reasons and analysis, it is all down to Sullivan.
Agree with the negative and repetitive reporting. I for one would rather see less stories. There’s so much on here now that I don’t believe or even want to read. Such a shame as I love WH, and reading about them. This site needs to re-evaluate what it’s mission is and maybe remind itself sometimes “less is more”
Spot on with your last sentence mate. 👍
The administrational team at West Ham have worked tirelessly to provide the transfer policy but it is difficult in the current financial climate as the stationary department need to order another packet of fags to to write the finalised document on
This chairman and the rest of the board have made us a complete joke
Why do clowns and circuses come to mind?
I misread that for circumcision 😆
It’s all unbelievably amateur, all this time coming into a critical transfer window and there appears to be no plans except waiting for sales and seeing what’s available then.
Now any clubs negotiating with us will have the upper hand knowing how desperate we are so lower fees.
Surely they could borrow money to at least get moving and pay back as transfer money came in?