The cynics amongst the supporters claim they’ve seen it all before: The ‘Phantom’ bids made on players which were never enough to trigger a positive response – but enough for West Ham’s transfer window dressing: To appear to be doing everything to bring in new players without ever running the risk of having to cough up the price. £50 million on Raphina and Kalvin Phillips instantly spring to mind.
Is the money really there? We will find out soon enough, £57 million buys a pretty decent striker even in January of 2025. So, now the official line from the West Ham spokesman quoted by various sources this evening is that the ‘offer has been rejected – time to accept defeat and move on‘ – the club has two choices.
Soldier on with some cobbled together ‘loan deal’ striker – or go and make a statement with spending that £50 million plus on another target in this window.
I’m tempted to yell ‘Show me the money’ – the catchphrase from Tom Cruise’s excellent Jerry Maguire ’90’s movie: ‘Words mean nothing until we actually see the cash’, in essence.
Graham Potter, along with many West Ham fans who are experiencing dejà vu at the news of this offer – will be waiting to be convinced that the cash is really there and that the board is ready to back the new coach with cold hard cash – rather than just by reeling off lists of failed bids with the excuse that ‘we tried’. As one Claret and Hugh reader suggested- that’s the West Ham Way.
What did you think would happen when Sullivan took full control of transfers then Martin? You have been agitating for this for months with your incessant claims that the summer window was a failure due to Tim steidten and nobody else. Well, you got your way and Steidten is sidelined and we can all look forward to years more of the we tried mantra that sulli loves so much. We are now back to trusted agents and don’t be at all surprised if we end up with salthouse client Callum Wilson this month. Bravo!
“We tried” but we actually didn’t.
SULLIVAN OUT!!!!!
Sullivan up to his old tricks again like he does every window, we did try to get him bs is so boring now.
As for Mubama calm down with all these serious striker comments,every time he turned out for us he was nowhere near the level required, I remember particularly against Bristol City in the FA Cup he was shocking.
He won’t be at City for long as he’s never going to get a game there now,he scored against Salford, big wow and all of a sudden West Ham fans think he’s a world beater…lol……it won’t be long before he’s playing for a team like Salford as that’s his level
The name of the game is to provide minutes for homegrown squad players, tart them up a bit, then sell on for an inflated fee, City will definitely profit from handing Mubama a contract after signing him on a free.
Hmm, whho is Duran going to go to. PSG with champions league football or down the bottom of the table West Ham? It’s a tough choice for him and his agent isn’t it.
Duran would only leave Aston Villa to get a first team start every game, rather than sit on the bench whilst Watkins is in his way. He won’t start at PSG either, so it’s not such a tough choice is it?
West Ham have been 13th or 14th pretty much all season, not at the bottom with the likes of Southampton, Ipswich, Leicester, Wolves, Everton and Crystal Palace. A few weeks ago Aston Villa were 12th. Currently they’re in 8th position – the bragging rights are not that hot are they?
That’s what I thought but Gaudiola has loads of options and could buy anyone but is still playing him. Given the West Ham disaster history around buying centre forwards seems like a mistake. Horrible now seeing him playing for City.
I thought the board said they don’t report failed bids?
If we were near top six, still in Champions League and FA Cup would we sell a vital back up striker?
It would take probably £80 million and really we can spend our cash more effectively
Could be genuine if they are thinking about the Kudus money. Might we be willing to cash in if we can strengthen in the areas that really need it? I think he’ll be gone in the summer anyhow
The circus is back in town.
Usual smoke and mirrors from Sullivan, not sure how many times we see these headlines where he allegedly makes huge bids that he knows will be rejected. Villa said it was nothing like the numbers reported also.
Duran is somewhere North of £70M now and we know that full well. It’s bad enough that our decisions are so awful without embarrassing stuff like this, it’s like offering 50p in a pound shop. The way things have been if it were anything other than West Ham I’d say sod this I’m off we’re naff in so many ways.
Villa just didn’t and don’t want to sell Duran. This is a bit mad, it was right to stop trying in the Summer and to go again now just seems crazy? Unless they get a ridiculous offer they won’t sell, same as the Summer – there has to be better value out there? He is still a big risk at £57m and that’s not enough anyway.
Divin Mubama came on for City again in the last game, what’s happening – did West Ham lose a serious striker there?
We certainly lost a serious striker with Divin Mubama joining City Paul. Such a talented player and we only received £2 million in training compensation as per FA rules for homegrown players. Gutted that we lost him as he would have absolutely thrived being managed by Potter and no doubt will go on to become a huge success at City. Coming on for Haaland at the weekend wasn’t a bad way to make your PL debut for your new club.
did we ? not being funny, bro I’d probably get ten a season playing up front for City
Moyes never really took him seriously or gave him much opportunity but I never really saw anything that special from him.
Having said that just being fit and mobile would help us presently.
I was really surprised to see him come on in the cup and now in the Premier. City have so many options Guardiola must rate him. So yes we dropped a clanger which I guess is mainly on Moyes.
Just the worst thing seeing your own academy players leaving like this especially to City who can buy anyone.
Was a shame he left and he would have got minutes for sure this season (how could he not at the moment!!). But every time I saw him in the premier league last year he looked a million miles off the required level!
No. City are buying a new sixty million striker as well as having Haaland. Only a matter of time before they get rid of Mubama. Wasting his career going to city. He would probably be playing for us now if he’d stayed.