Transfer Speculation (1st June onwards)

OldCastleSwift

Actual quotes from Moyes.

What gets me is the, "I hope we find someone". There's four days left of the window. It's been eight months since we sold Haller.

Poor to be this position, IMO.

yoyo

WHAT'S HOLDING UP ZOUMA'S HAMMERS MOVE?

Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol on the Transfer Show:

"Chelsea are still very keen to sign Joules Kounde from Sevilla. Kurt Zouma is very close to moving from Chelsea to West Ham but something seems to be holding up that deal, and I've been told one of the reasons could be that Chelsea have hit a stumbling block with Sevilla over trying to sign Kounde.
"He has a €70m release clause in his Sevilla deal, but Chelsea had been close to signing him for €50m. I've been told Sevilla have changed their position and are asking for the full release clause, and Chelsea are now wondering whether they should keep Zouma instead.

"There's lots of different theories about what's holding it up, that's one reason I've been told - although it is not confirmed."

Pengeman

Lukerz said:

Ex saying Moyes is not prepared to sign a striker

In principle, Bowen and Yarmolenko can play CFs though not as well as Antonio. So there is a cover of some sorts, but we lack depth in squad.

claretandbluesky

If he is not signing a striker I think Lingard is coming. Should we get Lingard and Zouma I think we have improved but we may still struggle when Antonio is out.

ianbishoplegend

Spoiler alert:

Zouma began his career at Vaulx-en-Velin at the year 2003 and spent six years at the youth setup before being moved to Saint-Étienne until the age of 15. He started his trade as a right winger and also then as a striker before switching to his current position as a defender.

IronHerb

Lukerz said:

Ex saying Moyes is not prepared to sign a striker

Now use it in the context of the interview. Moyes is prepared to sign a striker, but not any old striker.

IronHerb

The general view around twitter, including Ex, is that Zouma is all but a done deal.

Pearces_Left_Foot

Moyes has said in interview that he only wants to sign players that improve the team and will not sign players for the sake of it, he is going for quality over quantity a policy that has been working . It’s long term thinking last time we got in Europe we signed a load of players none who worked out and then had to move on and we got got knocked out early as well. The team can always be improved and we will always have areas of the squad that will need better cover that’s just the size of club we are , only the city’s and PSG can throw money at it. If we get Zouma and Lingard then it will be a good window not great but the quality of the first team will have improved again

OldCastleSwift

Valid points, PLF, but the fact remains that we haven't been able to identify a suitable, affordable striker in eight months. And that striker doesn't even need to be better than Antonio; just better than our next best option, which is currently Bowen or Yarmolenko. Is the club really saying that we can't find someone better than those two, that we can afford, in world football?

Lukerz

I think, again, what Moyes means, is we don’t have the resources currently to find a striker better than what we have, not just money wise but scouting wise.

It seems to me this entire window has been spent with Moyes & Sullivan trying to find players that we can buy who we can afford, who are better. That’s fine but a proper scouting department would sort that out for you & find you strikers who are not expensive who may have longer term potential.

Slacker

Maybe they got their fingers burned with chucking £10 m away on Hugill as the back up striker?

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Think the quality over quantity is definitely the better way

Is frustrating though that there are NO options the club think are good enough and like the Benrahma deal and Milenkovc deal rumours, we seem to mess about right at the end when the deal is all but done....if we don't get Zouma (who I think is a fabulous addition) I'd be very very annoyed

But Moyes has a plan with both with the current squad and the signings he makes and it has been working the last 18 months so happy to see how it goes again

I don't think our depth is that bad, you see any team outside the top 5 clubs and none have much depth because they, like us, can't afford to spend big money on players who will only be needed after injuries

OutcastLondoner

Hopefully this all changes when the head of recruitment comes. Maybe they're holding out a bit for that - in the sense that if they're confident on a player they'll go for him but if not they'll wait it out.

Fortuneseeker

WHU Who are your top 5?

OldCastleSwift

Villa have Watkins and Ings.

Wolves look like they're about to drop £13m on Hwang to compete with Jiminez.

Leeds have Bamford and Rodrigo up front.

I don't think it's a lot to ask to have two strikers at a PL club, irrespective of whether we have Man City money or not.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

OldCastleSwift said:

Villa have Watkins and Ings.

Wolves look like they're about to drop £13m on Hwang to compete with Jiminez.

Leeds have Bamford and Rodrigo up front.

I don't think it's a lot to ask to have two strikers at a PL club, irrespective of whether we have Man City money or not.

DO you mean the rodrigo whos been a complete waste of money and Hwang who didn't score a goal all of last season?

Don't get me wrong I want us to get a striker and think we need one, but there are so many goals in our squad from all over the pitch I don't get this obsession with getting a strike just because

Remember everyone raging we didn't try for King in Jan, and he was let go by Everton after 6 months....would rather Bowen go up top then someone like him

yoyo

I like Bowen and I've said before, with some coaching and experience he can be another Vardy

OldCastleSwift

Champo, you're argument was that teams outside the top 5 didn't have depth. My post was examples of where they do; more than us, at least.

Rodrigo hasn't set the world alight, but he's a decent player. And an option to replace Bamford without taking another starting player out of position.

And Hwang spent much of last season recovering from Covid, so I don’t think those numbers should be used against him.

If we lose Antonio, I have no real issue with Bowen playing through the middle, but who plays RW? Is Yarmolenko, Fredericks or Johnson really good enough?

Fact is we have one of, if not the smallest squad in the PL, so almost all other teams have more squad depth than we do. May not be a problem if we can keep everyone fit for most of the season, but history tells us that's unlikely.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

OldCastleSwift said:

Champo, you're argument was that teams outside the top 5 didn't have depth. My post was examples of where they do; more than us, at least.

Rodrigo hasn't set the world alight, but he's a decent player. And an option to replace Bamford without taking another starting player out of position.

And Hwang spent much of last season recovering from Covid, so I don’t think those numbers should be used against him.

If we lose Antonio, I have no real issue with Bowen playing through the middle, but who plays RW? Is Yarmolenko, Fredericks or Johnson really good enough?

Fact is we have one of, if not the smallest squad in the PL, so almost all other teams have more squad depth than we do. May not be a problem if we can keep everyone fit for most of the season, but history tells us that's unlikely.

But you have only referenced strikers whereas I'm talking about entire squad depth (and I said we need a striker)

Also didn't say that we have better depth just that I don't see many/any club outside the 'rich' ones having squad depth

And my point was just because they have a 2nd (or 3rd body) doesn't mean they're any good

City only have Gabriel Jesus up front, Chelsea don't really have a back up for Lukaku given Werner is much better as a winger, Jota is the only player Pool have to cover all 3 of Salah, Mane and Firminio, do spurs have a back-up CF?

OldCastleSwift

Zouma has signed, according to Ex. Will join up with the squad after the international break.

Good signing, this. Moyes’s top choice, supposedly, so important to get it done. PL winner, good European experience and, most importantly an upgrade on Dawson and Diop.

Pearces_Left_Foot

It’s official just had club post on my feed come up

steve

Good news about time

Pearces_Left_Foot

It’s on Chelsea website as well good signing still young plenty of experience good upgrade for our defence

Pengeman

Zouma is a good addition to the squad and ought to replace Dawson in the next game

https://twitter.com/WestHam/status/1431704386619654149

OutcastLondoner

World class photo of him, to be fair.

IronHerb

£29.8m fee claims the Mirror.

OldCastleSwift

IronHerb said:

£29.8m fee claims the Mirror.

Yikes.

So only £15m left?

Yeoldhammer

3 days to get a striker / midfielder in

Yeoldhammer

if we spent 30m on Zouma and have 15m left 2 loan deals ? a striker and midfielder ?

OldCastleSwift

Yeoldhammer said:

if we spent 30m on Zouma and have 15m left 2 loan deals ? a striker and midfielder ?

Can't imagine Man U would take £15m for Lingard, even if they were prepared to sell him.

Barkley on loan looking more and more likely.