West Ham recruitment and general grumbling

EXETERHAMMER

Injuries to Antonio or Bowen and we are going to struggle up front with so many games. We absolutely should have another striker by now.

OldCastleSwift

Lukerz, I agree that we'll be fine. In as much as we won't face a relegation battle and we may get a decent cup run.

But the opportunity January presented was to do more than be fine. That's where we've failed, IMO. This squad can comfortably finish top half, but it's a real challenge now to get top six, which I suspect was the target at the start of the season.

I've come round to the thought that not all is lost, and we still have a chance of success, but we could and, IMO, should hade made more effort to make success more likely.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

OldCastleSwift said:

Lukerz, I agree that we'll be fine. In as much as we won't face a relegation battle and we may get a decent cup run.

But the opportunity January presented was to do more than be fine. That's where we've failed, IMO. This squad can comfortably finish top half, but it's a real challenge now to get top six, which I suspect was the target at the start of the season.

I've come round to the thought that not all is lost, and we still have a chance of success, but we could and, IMO, should hade made more effort to make success more likely.

But so should have chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd, Wolves, Leicester and Brighton

We got in the mix with this squad, just like those above and given they haven't strengthened then we have every chance again to remain in the mix

Lukerz

OldCastleSwift said:

Lukerz, I agree that we'll be fine. In as much as we won't face a relegation battle and we may get a decent cup run.

But the opportunity January presented was to do more than be fine. That's where we've failed, IMO. This squad can comfortably finish top half, but it's a real challenge now to get top six, which I suspect was the target at the start of the season.

I've come round to the thought that not all is lost, and we still have a chance of success, but we could and, IMO, should hade made more effort to make success more likely.

I think we have every chance of finishing top 5 & going far in both cups

The time to push on, if we want to, is the summer for the following season. I don’t believe you split a season in half & push on in the second half with money spending. I don’t think teams work like that.

Dodger58

I think one area we should be conscious of is that unless we spent a heck of a lot of money, most of those approached would have seen themselves as coming to West Ham to be back-up rather than starters. I know that is not the case for all, but those we want to bring in also have to want to come to us. And if they don't want to compete for their places, then they are not players we want at the club - in my view.

I would still far rather see the likes of Perkins, Okoflex, Alese, Ashby, Chesters, Longelo, ... given a run out - let's see if they have what it takes.

Lukerz

Our recruitment is very simple under Moyes.

Soucek - mid 20s - £20m
Bowen - mid 20s - £20m-£25m
Vlasic - mid 20s - £25m
Zouma - mid 20s - £30m
Benrahma - mid 20s - £25m

Total spend = £120m-£125m

It’s a case of big money on players not yet at their peak with potential for resale value who will form the spine of the team.

The lesser spends have been…

Dawson - early 30s - £2m
Coufal - late 20s - £5m
Randolph - early 30s - £4m

Areola - late 20s - loan
Kral - mid 20s - loan

There is a rhythm to doing things. Big money goes towards players who form the core of the side & the spine of the team, lesser money & ‘loans to buy’ go on more experienced players or squad players. Moyes seems happy to take a risk on unknown players to the PL if his feeling/gut tells him they will come good. Only Zouma from that list of big spends could have been considered not much of a gamble.

There is a clear focus on buying players in the 23-26 age bracket.

So we can assume that, when targeting a striker this window, Moyes is looking for a 23-26 year old forward good enough to displace Antonio at any given time & he is happy to spend over £25m on this player if necessary. Clearly he couldn’t find one.

I do feel, once you settle on a way of doing this, you don’t deviate. If he wants a player that fits a profile & he can’t find one, he doesn’t settle for just anybody or breaks the strategy we have in place for the sake of a few months.

OldCastleSwift

Looking at the comments about Kral on the Kidderminster thread, the consensus seems to be that he's not good enough to stay past the summer.

So, assuming Rice stays on, we'll need a CM in the summer to replace Noble/Kral on the bench. Given that the majority of our money is likely to go on a ST and CB, who should we be looking at?

Fortuneseeker

OCS, Kamara at Marseille IF we are trying to be “something”

OldCastleSwift

Yeah, I like Kamara. He can play DM and CB so would give us good options in both positions.

However, he's a free agent in the summer so will have the pick of who he wants. I'd be surprised if he didn't have better options than us.

I don't think Moyes will look abroad for a midfielder. He generally likes to blood players without PL experience slowly, but we'll need someone to be game ready so I think he'll be looking domestically.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Moyes confuses me

Does he rate Yarmolenko/Fredericks etc? Or does he do it because they're experienced? Or is he only doing it because he feels obligated to play the 'bigger name' to risk upsetting/unsettling the squad harmony? Or is it because the youth players aren't up to the right level

Because for me, we have the 2nd best U23 in the country only than Coty who have THE most imrpessive youth infrastructure in world football

I obviously can only go off what I've seen, but for me there are opportunities within the current academy that can be drafted into the squad the tail end of this season in space of some of the deadweight

Yarmolenko & Fredericks are gone, Kral likely, Areola up in the air and it's possible we'd actively try to get rid of Diop & Masuaku (maybe Randolph too) as they aren't good enough (and have had time to prove us wrong)

- Fab, Randolph, Martin (Areola?)
- Coufal, Johnson (Ashby)
- Cresswell (Longelo)
- Zouma, Dawson, Ogbonna (Alese,Baptiste)
- Rice, Soucek (Ekwah, Forson)
- Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma, Vlasic, Lanzini (Oxo-Flex)
- Antonio (Perkins)

Can't see Moyes buying 7 players, would be very out of character, so hope some of the youth above get promoted, for me Ashby, Ekwah, Alese and Oxo-Flex are the most likely due to their current ability and the gaps in the squad

Big summer ahead, but I'm glad we're clearing out the deadweight

EXETERHAMMER

I thought it was going to be a big January too with some deadwood being cleared out.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

EXETERHAMMER said:

I thought it was going to be a big January too with some deadwood being cleared out.

Difference is no ones contracts were up in Jan

Ironically, I think letting Yarmolenko and Fredericks go actually improves our squad as neither are good enough

Plus it'll save over £150k a week on wages

Dodger58

It won't save us anything as we would have to pay their contracts up anyway.

I get that Fredericks is frustrating, but I don't think he is as bad as being made out - although he was one many poor performers yesterday.

On Yarmo, I 100% agree and would be happy for him to be told not to come back into the club at all. I don't see him in training, but I cannot believe he is a good influence or role model based on his performances on the pitch. The disgraceful dive was the last straw for me.

EXETERHAMMER

If Moyes and the team do make top 6 and go a bit further in the cups, it will be truly remarkable and worth applauding.
That is my positive stance on our poor transfer window.

ianbishoplegend

Do wish we would have gone 30m for Traore. He’s destroying Athletico Madrid right now

IronHerb

But who has he destroyed in the Prem this year?

Slacker

ianbishoplegend said:

Do wish we would have gone 30m for Traore. He’s destroying Athletico Madrid right now

Don’t like to say I told you so but……….

alderz

I still think Traore is garbage, and until he has end product over a sustained period of time - I’m talking more than a spell of form over a few months - I won’t change my mind

Slacker

alderz said:

I still think Traore is garbage, and until he has end product over a sustained period of time - I’m talking more than a spell of form over a few months - I won’t change my mind

You’re right of course, one game doesn’t make him a world beater but I think “garbage” is a bit strong.I’d still love to see him in a West Ham shirt.
Time will tell I s’pose.

MrsGrey

My view is that time has told.

IronHerb

I agreed with MrsG to try and get in her good book. ☺️

MrsGrey

It's a very thin book 😅. My bad books are veritable tomes!

Bazshuayi

IronHerb said:

I agreed with MrsG to try and get in her good book. ☺️

Perhaps an 'excellent' would've been wise

ianbishoplegend

With consistent assists and goals he’s one of the best players in Europe. West Ham is still a club players develop and move on

alderz

ianbishoplegend said:

With consistent assists and goals he’s one of the best players in Europe

You could say that about literally anyone

ianbishoplegend

With his consistent goals and assists, David Martin is now one of the best players in Europe

alderz

ianbishoplegend said:

With his consistent goals and assists, David Martin is now one of the best players in Europe

Well, if you had said what originally said that would make more sense. If any player was consistently getting goals and assists they would be one of the best players. The point is Traore doesn’t get consistent goals or assists.

IronHerb

ianbishoplegend said:

With his consistent goals and assists, David Martin is now one of the best players in Europe

I believe David Martin is only 1 goal and 1 assist behind Traore this season so you're probably right. 🤔

PrestonHammer

ianbishoplegend said:

With his consistent goals and assists, David Martin is now one of the best players in Europe

Have I woke up in a parallel universe where David Martin actually plays football and not only plays, he's one of the best?

OldCastleSwift

Moyes on Coufal sub: "I thought we had real problems in the second half down their left/our right."

Q: Was there any thought to take Aaron Cresswell off?

"Well, I think Aaron might have come into that category [as Coufal] as well."


Both our fullbacks (all three, actually) had mares today. Not basing our summer requirement on the Leicester game alone, obviously, but how many fullbacks do we need in the summer?

Coufal, Johnson and Ashby will the the RB options in the summer, which on paper is enough, but if Coufal continues his current form, will he need replacing? And if Johnson can't get in ahead of Coufal at the moment, is he good enough in Moyes’s eyes?

And on the other side, we'll have Cresswell and Masuaku, neither of which are great as modern-day fullbacks. Cresswell has struggled since his injury, and is consistently caught out in defensive situations, and Masuaku is defensively weak and has had persistent knee problems. Definitely need one LB, if not two.

Feels like there will have to be a lot of work done in the summer.