The Reader’s Digest: Pre Summer Transfer Speculation

buffybegood

If Rice goes as expected, we need to try to replace what he brings by finding those attributes spread across a few different players; we won't find a like for like replacement as good, but if, for instance, we can bring in 2 very good CMs (improving on Soucek who drops to the bench) and say a LB who is sound defensively but can carry the ball forward as Rice does, then we lessen the blow of losing Rice. A midfield 3 of Ward-Prowse, Palinha (or possibly Sangare, or Shkiri) and Paqueta is appealing, but we need to upgrade at LB as well in that scenario as JWP won't really drive us forward quickly imo.

Kehrer showed enough in the last few games to suggest he and Coufal should be good enough at RB for a season; I'm less confident of him at CB though and would really like to see us bring in a good, youngish, RCB as cover for Zouma who will always miss some games. We do, however, seem to be linked to a lot of left-footed CBs, so maybe Ogbonna is off; I know his contract is up but I'd be OK with a one year extension although I'm sure it was said a good while ago that he'd like to finish his career with a season back in Italy so maybe he wants out.

Lukerz

It will be a big mistake if we don’t replace the box-to-box nature of Rice. JWP is not dynamic enough.

buffybegood

Lukerz said:

It will be a big mistake if we don’t replace the box-to-box nature of Rice. JWP is not dynamic enough.

I could cope with JWP as long as we upgrade at say LB with someone who can drive us up the pitch; bringing in JWP without more pace around him will probably yield results like Southampton's this season.

Ravel49

For Info

‘June 14 is the projected start date from which clubs in England can begin to conduct their business. The window will then close on September 1 at 11pm’.

alderz

Though that is just for officially registering players. Deals can be finalised anytime, but won’t be completed until that date.

IronHerb

Coufal and Cresswell contract options taken up for 1 year.

jay_in_cpt

IronHerb said:

Coufal and Cresswell contract options taken up for 1 year.

Or has it ?
https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-reveal-coufal-contract-position/

ASLEFshrugged

What we need is back up for Bowen

Fornals didn't look too convincing on right in the first half yesterday, Benrahma hasn't impressed the few times he's been stuck on the wrong side of the pitch and apart that we've only got Antonio who is currently our best striker

IronHerb

⚒️ #WHUFC have activated the clause in Vladimir Coufal's contract
⚒️ One-year option activated in Aaron Cresswell's contract but defender unlikely to get testimonial next season

@RoshaneSport

Ravel49

West Ham are leading the race to sign James Ward-Prowse, with Southampton valuing the 28-year-old England midfielder at £40m. (Sun)

BubblesNeverDies

Ravel49 said:

West Ham are leading the race to sign James Ward-Prowse, with Southampton valuing the 28-year-old England midfielder at £40m. (Sun)

Ridiculous valuation, £25m maximum.

ASLEFshrugged

BubblesNeverDies said:

Ridiculous valuation, £25m maximum.

According to various sources he signed a 5-year deal in 2021 and doesn't have a release clause

The question is can Saints afford his £100k pw salary in the Championship

alderz

He’d be an incredible signing for us, IMO

buffybegood

Signing 30yo Maguire, who we're frequently linked with, and JWP who is 29 at the start of November (these two seem to the ones we're most frequently linked to, and, if Moyes is still at the helm, are very plausible signings), together with the extensions for Fabianski, Cresswell and Coufal, is hardly going to help bring down the age of the squad, which is already one of the oldest in the PL.

There's some serious can kicking going on; it's just such a short term approach. If Maguire and JWP do arrive, then by the start of the 24/25 season (ie. in about 15 months time) we'll have 8 players 30 or older (assuming Lanzini and Ogbonna leave this summer, otherwise it will be more), and another 6 will be 28 or 29yo.

Obviously all squads age unless players are replaced with younger ones, but given we already bought 9 players last summer and in January, the recruitment policy at the club, or lack of one in the last 10 years, is in danger of seriously coming home to roost. If we don't start investing in younger (but quality) players, we could end up with having to replace half a squad in one window in the not too distant future.

Fortuneseeker

buffy, Do you remember when David Moyes said he wanted to use the "Red Bull" model for transfers. Those signings would indicate that he has put that plan has been into the garbage?

OldCastleSwift

It doesn't help either that there doesn't appear to be anyone in the U21s bothering the first team. In fact, some were recently moved to allow some of the U18s a chance to progress, but I'd argue they're probably even further away from being first team options as Moyes seems to prefer experience over youth.

I'd be quite happy with JWP as an immediate replacement in midfield, but I'd also like to see someone like Bristol City's Alex Scott brought in too so we also have a quality longer-term option.

I'm not sure that Maguire is better than Aguerd and Zouma to be honest, but is he an upgrade on Kehrer and Dawson at CB? Probably, but I suspect there are better options out there.

ASLEFshrugged

I don't see Moyes signing Maguire, he's not an improvement on Aguerd or Zouma, he's supposed to be on £200k pw and he's not going to take a salary cut to sit on our bench

He's been linked with Spurs who need to sort out their defence, they conceded 63 goals this season, the first time they've conceded more than 50 since 2014-15

The Givemesport reports that he might go out on loan to Serie A with Inter, Milan, Juventus and Roma all mentioned

And inevitably he's been linked with Newcastle but then who hasn't?

OldCastleSwift

Although both Cresswell and Coufal have had their contracts extended, I still think we should be looking at new full backs. Right back, in particular, because as much as I like Coufal, his ability in the final third is dreadful (1 assist in 37 appearances for a modern full back is not very good) and Johnson hasn't impressed at all, IMO.

Cresswell has 3 assists from 38 games, Kehrer 2 from 37 (including appearances at CB), Ben Johnson 1 from 29 and Emerson 2 from 33 (and he's the only full back to have scored this season).

I know it's not all about the numbers, but Cresswell, Coufal and Johnson are all very predictable, too. 9 times out of 10 they seem to receive the ball on the wing, come inside and lay it off to one of the midfielders. None of them have the pace or technical ability to beat a man and their crossing when they do have a bit of space has been woeful. Emerson does at least run with the ball and seems prepared/able to do more with it, but he hasn't been able to displace Cresswell so I'm not sure how much Moyes rates him.

buffybegood

Fortuneseeker said:

buffy, Do you remember when David Moyes said he wanted to use the "Red Bull" model for transfers. Those signings would indicate that he has put that plan has been into the garbage?

The Red Bull model has completely gone out of the window, but part of that is because the manager has control over new signings. Given the turnover of managers in the PL, Moyes needs to sign players that will keep him in a job for the next year; he'll worry about the season after that if he's still in the job come next summer.

buffybegood

OldCastleSwift said:

Although both Cresswell and Coufal have had their contracts extended, I still think we should be looking at new full backs. Right back, in particular, because as much as I like Coufal, his ability in the final third is dreadful (1 assist in 37 appearances for a modern full back is not very good) and Johnson hasn't impressed at all, IMO.

I completely agree wrt fullbacks, it's such an important position in the modern game, but we seem to be in the dark ages somewhere. Part of it is that we always seem to have so many positions (as a result of our poor transfer strategy for more than a decade) to fill each summer that the lack of signing a FB is the compromise that is made.

If Emerson could up his defensive work (and his concentration for sure), then he'd be a decent FB, but then again, if he could do that he'd have cost a lot more and we wouldn't have signed him. On the right, I can see Johnson going tbh; he seems to have really lost his way in the second half of the season. I don't mind Kehrer as a RB option, given his recent improvement in form, and, tbh, I prefer him there than at CB especially if he's going to be paired with Aguerd; that pairing is just too weak aerially for me. I'd class Kehrer as a FB, and we need to bring in a RCB, but, given Ogbonna has yet to extend his contract, I suspect we're stuck with him as a CB as I can't see us bringing in 2 CBs in one window.

Zouma will definitely miss games, it's inevitable. The added problem with an aerially weak CB pairing is that we really need Soucek out of the team if Rice goes. We all know we can't replace Rice with one single player, so we have to try to upgrade the players around his position to lessen the loss, and that means an improvement on Soucek as a starter alongside Rice's replacement (otherwise we'll be hugely weaker in midfield), but then we'd likely see a less aerially dominant Soucek replacement come in. So, when Zouma is missing, we'd potentially be very vulnerable aerially.

I'm not a fan of kicking the can down the road, but, given the situation we're in, I'd consider Ogbonna for another year. However, I don't think it's going to happen, partly because it's not been announced, but also because I'm sure it was Ogbonna's intention to finish up his career back in Italy, and I think he'll earn a contract somewhere after his performances this season. If Ogbonna stayed, we could concentrate on a RCB to cover Zouma, but most of the links I've seen (except for Maguire) seem to be left-footers.

alderz

buffybegood said:

Fortuneseeker said:

buffy, Do you remember when David Moyes said he wanted to use the "Red Bull" model for transfers. Those signings would indicate that he has put that plan has been into the garbage?

The Red Bull model has completely gone out of the window, but part of that is because the manager has control over new signings. Given the turnover of managers in the PL, Moyes needs to sign players that will keep him in a job for the next year; he'll worry about the season after that if he's still in the job come next summer.

This is why a director of football / sporting director is a really important role, IMO. Gives clubs the ability to plan longer than a manager is around for.

IronHerb

But hasn't the Red Bull model only worked for Red Bull? RB also 'broke' all the Bundesliga norms in buying the club outright?

buffybegood

alderz said:

This is why a director of football / sporting director is a really important role, IMO. Gives clubs the ability to plan longer than a manager is around for.

For sure, I just don't trust Sullivan, on his past performance, to get appointing one right.

ASLEFshrugged

Tuttosport say that Torino has offered £7m for Vlasic, we've rejected it and told them we want £11.25m

buffybegood

ASLEFshrugged said:

Tuttosport say that Torino has offered £7m for Vlasic, we've rejected it and told them we want £11.25m

I've read that the original option was in the region of £12.9m (about half what we paid for him), so they're really taking the Michael offering £7m; obviously it's a negotiating tactic, but, even so, surely he's worth more than that.

Whatever we get for him will round off a dreadful bit of business in buying him in the first place.

Fortuneseeker

buffy, A Groundhog Day scenario?

alderz

I wouldn't mind if Vlasic came back, tbh - just so long as we don't play him as a winger again.

OutcastLondoner

alderz said:

I wouldn't mind if Vlasic came back, tbh - just so long as we don't play him as a winger again.

But is he better than Paqueta, Fornals or Benrahma centrally?

Bazshuayi

For the price we'll get for him, I also wouldn't mind him returning and seeing what he can do centrally. If he steps up then we have a good player. If he doesn't, then in football money terms we lost 7-11.9M which is nothing for a club as rich as ours

alderz

OutcastLondoner said:

alderz said:

I wouldn't mind if Vlasic came back, tbh - just so long as we don't play him as a winger again.

But is he better than Paqueta, Fornals or Benrahma centrally?

Not sure, tbh. My gut says no, but I've not seen enough of him to know.