Transfer Speculation

alderz

I’m surprised people don’t like Tammy as a player tbh. To me he seems like a very quick, strong and mobile striker, who is also a good finisher

OutcastLondoner

I'm not sure about his strength and hold-up play personally. I think the rest of it is good but I'm not sure he can fit into the system we have built around Antonio. I'd like him on a season-long loan with an option to buy, maybe.

Hamstew

From what I've seen of him I just don't like what I see. Just looks a bit clumsy and lucky to me. Kind of reminds me of Danny Welbeck and even Carlton Cole. Also my Chelsea mates who watch him week in week out don't rate him but weather or not that counts for much who knows.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Ivan Toney would be an exciting option, I think. Not convinced on Abraham, but don’t exactly know why. He seems to score regularly enough but there’s something unconvincing about him.

claretandbluesky

He is also not the finished article just yet, he is 23, a year older than Dec, so both are two or three years from their prime. I personally don't think we could afford him as Chelsea don't want to do another Loukaku who they sold at 21 only to improve at Everton. I think Abraham and Rashford are the future of England's front line.

ASLEFshrugged

According to Eurosport Abraham is miffed that he's on £80k while Hudson-Odoi is on £120k and he is another of Declan's mates,

Eurosport also reckon that Saints are looking at Abraham as a replacement for Ings who is rumoured to be on his was to Spurs or City. Ings is on £75k, we might be better putting in a cheeky bid for him rather than Abraham

baracks_a_hammer

We’ve already been linked with Ings haven’t we?

IronHerb

But Ings is another sick note. Good player but not reliable fitness wise.

ASLEFshrugged

Last season Southampton played 44 games, Ings played 42 (started 35) and was on the bench for the other two

Dodger58

I am sure Ings fell foul of a Sullivan rant about 'dodgy knees' when he was at Burnley and our manager at the time was rumoured to be interested in him - I am sure he said he'd never go to West Ham because of it.

alderz

Dodger58 said:

I am sure Ings fell foul of a Sullivan rant about 'dodgy knees' when he was at Burnley and our manager at the time was rumoured to be interested in him - I am sure he said he'd never go to West Ham because of it.

I think that was Charlie Austin (although it's possible it was both)

MrsGrey

It was Charlie Austen, yes.

Ace of Clubs

I think your right Alderz, and he was with QPR at the time.

MrsGrey

Ings is about to turn 29. (Not ancient, but for a striker .... ?)

His first 2 seasons at Liverpool he was injured for almost all of them. Then few opportunities for his 3rd season as he was competing with better players for a place.

his loan at Southampton was OK-ish (24 appearances, 7 goals).

In the 18/19 season he had 3 separate hamstring injuries (resulting in 31 days out, then 15, then 55 days out).

He had a really good season last year.

This seasons he's had a knee injury (34 days out), then a hamstring (8 days) then a 'knock' (19 days)

He doesn't seem like the sort of player the new West Ham should be signing.

(data from transferwise)

Yeoldhammer

Sima and Alex Kral

baracks_a_hammer

If we signed ings we would have two injury “risk” strikers and then we would have to hope they were not both injured at the same time.

OldCastleSwift

I'd take Abraham and Toney over Ings. I like Ings, but him and Antonio at 29 and 30, with their respective injury records, as our forward options wouldn't be ideal.

I don't know enough about En-Nesyri to say whether he'd be a good fit, but with Dortmund apparently interested in him he may not even be an option. Sima has been linked with PSG, so again, if there's any truth in that I think we can probably rule him out.

OldCastleSwift

If we could get Lingard, Abraham and Kral then we have the basis of a very strong squad.

Fab/Randy
Coufal/Johnson
Cresswell/Masuaku
Dawson/Balbuena
Ogbonna/Diop
Rice/Kral
Soucek/Coventry
Bowen/Fredericks
Lingard/Fornals
Benrahma
Antonio/Abraham

I still think we need a player capable of playing both LB and LWB as Cresswell can do the former and Masuaku the latter, but neither can do both effectively. Ideally, I'd like to see another 'keeper to replace Randolph and maybe another striker, but with money expected to be tight again these three would be my priority.

epsom_bubbles

OldCastle, money may be tight (according to the owners) but if we get anywhere near Europe at the end of this season, I think our small squad would not get us very far. It should be speculate to accumulate or the footballing equivalent

Hammerex

The nearest we will get to Europe is probably the white cliffs of Dover, but I
think we might just do it.

Hamstew

I think we'll end up 7th

IronHerb

7th might do it.

Lukerz

Our performance against City should be enough of a statement to anybody who has doubts we will keep this up. We are a very good team this year. Aim has to be top 6. I think, ultimately, Liverpool & Chelsea will go above us, but I would want us to aim to finish above Everton & Spurs.

baracks_a_hammer

Liverpool and Chelsea maybe, but without a few key players, Leicester are struggling a bit

MunichHammer

I'm not sure about Chelsea. They have one hell of a run in and if we can keep the pressure up then that could get interesting. Liverpool and us hsve a lot of easier games at the tail end of the season, hopefully no teams actually fighting for survival anymore, unlike Chelsea who play teams fighting for a place im Europe.

Fortuneseeker

IronHerb said:

7th might do it.

I reckon it depends on the two cups being one by a team(s) that finish above us. it will hopefully become clearer after the FA Cup Quarter Finals as the last four could include both Manchester teams, especially if Leicester don't get some of their injuries sorted, plus Chelsea & Southampton?

ASLEFshrugged

Portuguese football pundit Pedro Almeida (who?) reckons that Balbuena will leave in the summer, either to Brazil with Flamengo and Internacional mentioned, to the USA or to Saudi Arabia.

Almeida also reckons that Anderson could be going on loan to Clube Atlético Mineiro in Brazil

Meanwhile tuttobolognaweb claim that we're looking at Bologna's Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski (29). He's currently one of three keepers called up for Poland internationals, the others being Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny of Juventus

Hamstew

I don't understand the Balbuena thing. I've always rated the guy quite highly. It always seems like he gets dropped for other players even if he's played well.

whupathman

this year if you get injured, then others step in and keep their place as they do well, which as a manager that's the dream for a player its a nightmare, play well do well then lose your place to injury and struggle to get back in. From what I see he accepts that's why but feels he needs to move on.

OldCastleSwift

Some reports on social media that Alves is very highly rated by the manager and coaches and will be considered a first-team option next season, which makes me think we'll cash in on Balbuena in the summer (although I'm sure his contract is up so it'll just be a saving on wages). We'll have Ogbonna, Dawson, Diop and Alves competing for two positions, plus Cresswell as LCB in a three, so I think we can afford to let Balbuena go if Alves is as good as some have suggested.

If we get another CM, someone like Kral for example, we might even be able to drop Rice into CB if we had to, so I think we'll have plenty of options there.