Autumnal Transfer Speculation, aka Declan Rice Transfer Rumour Bingo
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Comments
Rice has given us more years than I'd think we get, would be delighted seeing him staying in England where I can see more of him and he wins the Prem or even champions league
Plus would applaud him when he comes back to the OS
Don't want him in Spain or away from casual viewing in what, imo are far less interesting leagues
I'd file this under nonsense.
But not quite grinding your gears..
IvAnToney -> Antonio. Well he's almost a replacement.RLC, Conor Gallagher and Broja all getting more game time.
Hi all.
Whilst I agree that CBs often peak later and we could get 3 or 4 years out of him, I still think £12m for a 30 year old CB who's only had 2 seasons in the top flight is way too much money and I can't see it happening.
Hello Jake 👋
England midfielder Declan Rice, 23, has no intention of signing a new West Ham deal this season despite being offered an eight-year contract worth £200,000 a week. (Football Insider)
I don’t blame you son
Shame in a way, because he's seems to be doing well there as a No10, a position that we're struggling with at the moment.
Paqueta is still adjusting, Fornals is in pretty desperate form and Lanzini tends to play deeper nowadays. There doesn't appear to be anyone in the U23s ready to step up; Dan Chesters looked to be the closest but he's only played 8 times for a team that are 23rd in League Two, so it's not looking great for him at the moment.
When Benrahma went off last night we looked completely devoid of ideas and creativity, and the fact that Downes seemed to be playing there against Bournemouth makes me think we need another option.
Not saying Vlasic is it as he clearly struggled in the PL, but something I think we need to think about for the next couple of windows.
I'm not sure of the contract situation with all these players, but by 31st August next year (not sure exactly when the season will start) we'll have 6 of our current squad 33 or older. Admittedly 2 of those are keepers (Fabianski 38 and Randolph 36) and 2 are CBs (Ogbonna 35 and Dawson 33) who tend to be able to play on more than most other outfield positions, but it's still a sign that there are players that are coming towards the end of their time with us. Cresswell and Antonio are the others that will be 33 come the start of next season.
I'm not saying all will need to be replaced next summer, simply that there are already plenty of positions we'll need to be looking at replacements for. At CB, we still don't know how well Ogbonna will be following his injury, and whether he'll be up to the rigours of a PL season as a 3rd or 4th choice CB (on the basis that Zouma and Aguerd will be our first choice pairing). Dawson apparently wanted away in the summer, and I think is out of contract in the summer anyway (as Ogbonna may be aswell), so it's perfectly possible we'll be looking for at least one if not 2 CBs; fortunately we do have Kehrer who can play there although so far he seems more comfortable at RB in the PL.
With regard to keepers, at one point not so long ago we seemed to have quite a few on our books; have we got someone to come through atm? Given Fabianski is currently still starting in the PL, I wonder if he'll be given a contract for next season (even if it's to provide cover rather than being a starter), so, if we've got a "youngster" that can be included in the first team squad then we might be able to kick the keeper can down the road for another season (Randolph is out of contract next summer).
Cresswell is another that is out of contract next summer. Despite Emerson's arrival he's still our starting LB atm, and no doubt Moyes likes his versatility at LCB in a back three, but, although he's not been quite as exposed as he was at times last season, he seems to be offering less and less threat going forward. FBs are very important in the modern game, but have never seemed to be a priority at our club, possibly as there have been so many deficiencies in other positions for so long. If Emerson isn't going to come through as our starting LB, then personally I'd like to see Cresswell released and us invest in a quality, attacking LB, but I'm not convinced Moyes won't offer Cresswell an extension. If, by the end of the season, Emerson is ahead of Cresswell and playing well, then another year with Cresswell as back-up wouldn't be so bad, especially if we get a "not quite the finished article" LB in as opposed to a ready to go starter.
I think we'll definitely be in the market for another forward who primarily plays through the middle. I know, by our standards, we have an abundance of riches there atm with Antonio and Scamacca, but most teams like to have more options there and Antonio isn't getting any younger. I think this will be even more of a priority if we manage to get European football again next season.
There's a fairly likely out imo; Lanzini is out of contract in the summer although I think we've got an option which I woulda thought we're very unlikely to exercise. He's not an integral part of the PL squad atm, although useful in these early rounds of European competition. It's another squad place that will need filling if we're not to be short-handed as we were last season.
So plenty of work to be done going forward, although I suspect a lot of it will be dependent on us getting European football again next season; achieving it through our league placing could be very difficult so I think the cups are especially important this season, with the Europa Conference quite possibly our easiest way back into Europe next season.
West Ham's English centre-back Craig Dawson, 32, wants to leave in January after losing his place in the starting line-up. (Football Insider)