Transfer rumours and speculation to take us through to summer.

MarkNobleLocalHero

welovethehammers said:

Pengeman said:

Sanchez is 33 and wasn't impressed with 7 appearances last season. We should sell him if we can and create space for Cullen and Coventry. Both are eager to impress and can't do any worse.

I was impressed with how comfortable Cullen looked when he came on against Altach. I'd love to see more of him during pre season as well as some appearances in the cups/off the bench in the league.

Absolutely, we should be hanging on to Cullen. So much better than Sanchez but then who isn't?

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

I like Cullen

This may be an old way of thinking, but I think his lack of athleticism is a bit of a worry

Think we need a greater physical presence, dont think Cullen can fill in for Rice, hes more ein the Noble/Wilshere mould

OldCastleSwift

Yeah, I think we're missing a beast in midfield. Someone in the mould of Doucoure. Wanyama's name came up yesterday and I think he'd fit the bill, although his injury history isn't great and his employees are not exactly keen on doing business with us, so I don't think that will go anywhere.

MrsGrey

OldCastleSwift said:

re Antonio, but it won't do his confidence any good knowing that he's being considered a striker given that we've just dropped £45m on Haller. He'll now know that he'll be behind Haller up front and probably behind Yarmo - who was a Pellegrini signing - on the right, so won't be looking at too much game time.

The boss's words about Antonio, and more deals to be done:

“We also have Michail Antonio and Javier Hernandez [who can play up front] too. I think we are going to have a good squad and now we have to find the right system.”

Pellegrini also dismissed the suggestion that the signing of Haller... means [Antonio and Chicarito] will be allowed to leave before the transfer window closes in early August.

But the manager did admit that players in other positions may be allowed to leave.

“Haller coming will be good for us,” he confirmed, “and at this moment we are not losing any more players in attacking areas of the squad. In other areas, we will see.”

Read more at https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2019/july/17-july/sebastien-haller-important-striker-our-squad-manuel-pellegrini#YrdUWgOof2XPyKbe.99

So he sees Antonio as a 'forward' rather than a 'striker' (if by that we mean a Number 9) so I expect he (Antonio) doesn't see himself as competing with Haller for game time.

BubblesNeverDies

A bit worried about this statement:
“We also have Michail Antonio and Javier Hernandez [who can play up front] too. I think we are going to have a good squad and now we have to find the right system.”

I thought the idea was to have a system and get players in who suit it. :hmm:

Yeoldhammer

i dont think it matters Pelle likes his 4-3-3 formation.

Anderson and Yarmelenko will probably take the two forward flanking positions competing with Antonio

Fornals and Lanzini will compete for the middle AM position with Rice Noble behind with Wilshire on contention.

If Obiang goes then we need another body in Sanchez just isnt going to cut it. Cullen is on his last chance in pre-season i think if he doesnt impress he will be gone at the end of this window.

MrsGrey

BubblesNeverDies said:

A bit worried about this statement:
“We also have Michail Antonio and Javier Hernandez [who can play up front] too. I think we are going to have a good squad and now we have to find the right system.”

I thought the idea was to have a system and get players in who suit it. :hmm:

I think his comment can be interpreted that way. As in, who will play best in each position and in conjunction with the other players, how to get the best out of the squad kind-of-thing. :ok:

IronHerb

Adapt or die comes to mind.

ianbishoplegend

I think Antonio will get a lot of game time, as he can play in all 3 forward positions. He also supports the lone striker very well when he starts on the left and right. Maybe one of our most important squad members right now.

Lukerz

What do we reckon, on current players, Pelle's preferred system is? Interesting he played Anderson on the right of the attack yesterday, almost like he is trialing a positional swap?

Fabianski
Fredericks - Balbuena - Diop - Masuaku
Rice - Wilshere
Anderson - Fornals - Lanzini
Haller

Roberto, Reid, Cresswell, Noble, Yarmolenko, Antonio, Hernandez

It's hard fitting everybody in, especially in those positions behind the striker. We know Anderson will play, but then we have Fornals (£24m), Yarmolenko (£17m) & Lanzini (who many feel is our best player), plus Wilshere.

Bazshuayi

Fabianski
Fredericks - Balbuena - Diop - Masuaku
Rice - Wilshere
Yarmolenko - Fornals - Anderson
Halle

alderz

Baz :ok:

I agree, but I think that Noble might be the pick ahead of Wilshere, personally. Nobes has the leadership and Jack is unreliable. In an ideal world I’d think it would be a fit Wilshere, but that’s not likely

MrsGrey

Agree that attacking line up. Not sure about the back 4.

alderz

MrsG

I think that Fredericks and Arthur will be the preferred attacking options, but I expect there to be an awful lot of rotation in a lot of positions and particularly at fullback

Lukerz

My worry is the back up. I think, with the right coaching, Masuaku could be a brilliant attacking LB. I think most of his limitations are purely concentration issues. I think if he is fully focused & switched on, he could be brilliant for us longer term. Same with Fredericks. If he can have a run of games where he doesn’t get injured, he can be a real good player for us.

My worry is if either of them becomes unavailable, relying on Zab for a run of games at his age, & Cresswell (who is past his sell by now), & it could be a problem position for us.

grey_til_I_dye

Lukerz

I disagree re: Cressers; I think he is still capable of performing to his best level (which was pretty good), and we have Ben Johnson (who can play either side.) If we get in another FB, Johnson goes back in the pecking order, whereas I'd rather see him given a good go, if needed. Zab very rarely let us down last year, and I don't see why that should suddenly change this year.

Cuz1

I don’t get this about zab can count on one hand the bad games he’s had for us and believe some people on here just see age and think not good enough, where I see experience and more than capable

baracks_a_hammer

Cressers is def past his peak. The expectations of full backs is much higher these days. He is reasonably solid, but if we have European aspirations we need more than that

Our negative goal difference demonstrated that we needed to do something about our defence coming into this season. Personnel wise we haven’t done anything (if you exclude the two back up keepers). I hope that changes before the window closes

As for Nobes, we’ve been searching for his upgrade for the past 4 years and still the search goes on IMO

Pengeman

Looks like Pedro Obiang will soon be off to Italy in a €9m transfer (http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-chief-confirms-interest-west-ham-player-deal-official-hammers-return-tour/ ). What should WHU do with it? Buy another midfielder, striker or should Messrs Gold/Sullivan just pocket it or has the money already been spent on the Haller and Fornals transfers?

ianbishoplegend

Rice
Fornal Lanzini

Antonio Anderson

Halle

MIAHammer

I didn’t comprehend how dire we have been up front until I saw the table of 38 strikers

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/9517739/west-ham-hugill-wigan-transfer-90k-a-minute-hammers/

Pengeman

@ MIAHammer - "I didn’t comprehend how dire we have been up front until I saw the table of 38 strikers". We are not alone. all teams are looking for that 20 goal plus striker but few find them.

McHammer

Although according to that table of premiership clubs from a couple of weeks ago everyone finds them more recently than us!

baracks_a_hammer

I don’t think it’s even a case of 20 goals.

In terms of goals scored the bottom 22 of that lot contributed just 10 goals between them. That is truly staggering

It actually makes someone like Piqionne one of the success stories, relatively

MrsGrey

That list though - some of those players weren't bought for the 1st team but rather for the Dev squad.

alderz

McHammer said:

Although according to that table of premiership clubs from a couple of weeks ago everyone finds them more recently than us!

Most of those were scorers in the Championship though. It's not like everyone's been unearthing world class strikers and we haven't.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

But those number are shocking

38 signings, only 7 managed double figures for goals in their hammers career

200 goals in almost 1000 games....that's appalling

baracks_a_hammer

And one of those was RVT whose goals would have mainly come in the champ

Vorselaarhammer

How many 20goal a season strikers have their been in the past 20years in the whole PL...

They are like gold dust.

Henry / VanNes / Ronney / Aguero / Suarez / Torres / Shearer

These are the greats of the PL era...

MrsGrey

imo we should stop using '20 goal a season striker' as some kind of benchmark. They are incredibly rare these days.