Summer 2017 Transfer Speculation

baracks_a_hammer

What one tries to look for is some sign of progress when one goes from one season to the next. For me personally, I just don't see that if the likes of zabaletta signs on what, I should imagine, might be a mighty fat pay packet. Just doesn't inspire confidence that there is a longer term strategy in place..

alderz

Maybe someone like Ayew, Fletcher, Feghouli, Snodgrass, Lanzini, Ogbonna, Byram, Antonio, Masuaku, Obiang, Kouyate, (im not going to go on but you catch my drift)

Lukerz

Not convinced by Zabaleta.

He's not on an upward trajectory that's for sure.

TwistandShout

Would he start for us? Yes. Sorted.

Also he's a good leader. Id be happy if we signed him tbh

Yeoldhammer

Big summer ahead. The Liverpool game re emphasises the amount of work that needs to be done.

ASLEFshrugged

None of City's fullbacks are spring chickens, Sagna is 34, Zabaleta is 32, Clichy and Kolarov will both be 32 this year.

I'd be happy with signing Zabs on a free, reading around the City fans seem totally gutted he's being allowed to leave.

IronHerb

No.

Pearces_Left_Foot

I think it should only be one of Defoe or Zabaleta, frees are fine but its the wages that will cause problems with our FFP . I would rather we try and build a team for the next 5 years than stop gaps for one or two

Bazshuayi

To be fair, Zab would be a good shortish term RB while Byram hopefully learns a few things ( like not pulling shirts all the time and thinking that its compulsory to get a yellow card when there's no danger!) - I admit I'd like Defoe too.If he can bang in around 15 a season for the next two years while people like Fletcher learn from him I'd be pleased. We need more than just Defoe though and I doubt it'll be easy to even get him

alderz

I just took a look at all of the PL squads currently to see how many players have been in each club's first team squad for 5 years or more, and there are not many at all.

8: Arsenal
7: Manchester City, Manchester United
6: West Brom
5: Bournemouth, Stoke
4: Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton, Leicester, Swansea
3: Southampton, West Ham, Sunderland
2: Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Middlesbrough
1: Watford
0: Hull

Obviously, we want to build a side that stays together for years to come. But that isn't realistic in the modern game. I think it says a lot that the 3 sides with the most are sides up the top end of the division. and West Brom's long servicemen aren't exactly the most sought after players (Foster, Yacob, Morrison, Brunt, McAuley, Dawson). These days, the vast majority of players who impress (for mid table clubs especially) do not stay for 5 years.

So, the point I am trying to make is that, signing players who will do a job for 2 or 3 years isn't finding a 'stop gap' solution. That is a long term signing in the Premier League these days.

Yeoldhammer

Still going to maintain Calleri isn't good enough and signing him would be a mistake.

NEoldiron

Yeold, the difference between Calleri's performance last week and yesterday was amazing for the wrong reason unfortunately.

Bazshuayi

For me, if you saw him playing for another club all the times we've seen him in our side, would anyone be typing here 'I hope we sign him'? He could turn into a great player but at the time we need a striker who's at a higher level. No offense to the lad

Pearces_Left_Foot

Alderz what I meant by stop gap is we may get 1-2 years but then need to replace these players and we have the whole situation again . I would rather sign players who can play for 3-5 years . Defoe scoring record dropped off since Jan and Zabaleta has been a great right back but I feel his best days are past him both would command a rumoured 100K a week which could unsettle the other players who are on a lot less and mess up what we can offer players who we are trying to sign long term. I get that football is becoming more and more short term /short sighted . ;hmm Also Zabelta has been playing for Man City I think in our team he may struggle abit, we signed Fonte who was is experienced and he has n't really been that great we need pace in our team .

Yeoldhammer

For me he just isn't a goal scorer regardless of the positions he finds himself in, I would expect any "top striker" that West Ham should be looking at, to fill the gap we need, to be able to make the intelligent runs and find themselves in the good positions and actually score.

I don't think we will but I would do as much as possible to shift Sakho and Carroll also and be done with the injury ravaged saga we have upfront. But I don't think anyone will be buying either of them and will be with us until their contracts are done.

Yeoldhammer

plf

Agreed, See Fonte and Snodgrass as examples both have not performed anywhere near the level they were at, at their previous clubs. We need people in their prime and at the level now. There are so many teams that have tried the tail end approach and go down because of it because they come stuck 2 years down the line when they cannot replace everyone.

brookingsirons

I don't expect anything special happening in the summer apart from more
guess who we could have signed I think it will be another load of free's the wrong
end of there career and loans with one over priced striker with injury record that matches carroll's coming in ....

just saying ;hmm

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Iheanacho and Batshuayi are the guys we should try everything to get

Both are at top clubs, struggled for game time and both of their clubs will probably invest heavily this summer limiting their game time even more

Both are young and both could represent a big profit for us, I'm sure they would love to prove themselves but after the season we have had we'll probably struggle to get these players.......

I'm sure we can get either 1 whether it's a loan move or a permanent one

Need to take a risk and hope it pays

Yeoldhammer

I would definitely throw a lot at Iheanacho he looks great every time I seen him play.

grey_til_I_dye

brookings

Feel free to be as disappointed as you like with our transfer business, but to classify it as 'free's the wrong end of there career' is simply not reflective of our recent transfer activity.

This season, we laid out just shy of £71m pounds.

Average age of permanent signings: 26

The year before we spent £45m on transfers.

Bazshuayi

I dont think Iheanacho is a risk. Would love to have him at West Ham! A loan could be achievable if Aguero doesnt leave. He'll be watching him and Jesus from the bench otherwise. Behind the strikers will be hard for him to get in as well

I also think Chelsea will buy at least one more striker (2 if Costa leaves). I want Bats too. Not changing my handle for nothing!

#wannabe in charge of transfers

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Problem we have is these days £70mil only gets you about 3/4 genuinly good players, we need about 7 imo (2 strikers, 1 CB, 2 RB/RWB, 1 CM, 1 GK)

Bazshuayi

I'd settle for 2 strikers and 1 RB/RWB

alderz

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years said:

Problem we have is these days £70mil only gets you about 3/4 genuinly good players, we need about 7 imo (2 strikers, 1 CB, 2 RB/RWB, 1 CM, 1 GK)

Are you totally discounting Byram then?

SuzanneClaret

For me we need a back up for Byram as he should be first choice RB.

OldCastleSwift

Not sure Suze. If we are signing Zabaleta then he starts ahead of Byram for me

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

The player who plays best starts. Same for every position. Nobody should be signed as a starter and nobody should be signed as a backup. You aim for two players for each position and the one who does the best on the pitch gets to start.

OldCastleSwift

To an extent I agree Jorderz, but if I had to pick a right back for the start of next season now, based on what I've seen of Byram and Zabaleta this season, it would comfortably be the latter

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Yes but you let Zab come in and earn it. If he's playing terribly and Byram is playing excellent then Byram starts. You don't just carry on playing Zab no matter how he performs just because you signed him to be a starter. You just judge it based on who plays better.

OldCastleSwift

If Byram out-performs Zabaleta in pre-season then absolutely he deserves to start. But for me, as it stands, Zabaleta is a better right back than Byram so he would be my first choice