There has been plenty of media speculation regarding which players, if any, are going to join West Ham during the January transfer window. There is a perception that Hammers manager David Moyes, or 'dithering Dave' as he has often been labelled, has NOT provided head of recruitment Rob Newman OR the Board with a list of players he wants and has done nothing to ensure the club hits the ground running to avoid missing out on targets.
Nothing can be further from the truth, Moyes may be a bit of a ditherer, but his due diligence is one of the reasons Hammers are the lean mean outfit they now are. Moyes' refusal to buy players just for the fans or for the vanity of co owners is paying dividends and is a welcome change from the scatter gun purchases that were prevalent during much of the GSB era
Apparently the board is ready to spend money in this window and defence will be the key area but as yet there is no certainty as to whether one or two players arrive at the back. There are also obvious hopes that we will pick up a striker but also fears that unless the manager quickly makes up his mind who he wants, the club could be left behind on targets.
There is one very CLEAR and OBVIOUS reason why Hammers REAL targets are not in the public domain, quite simply clubs like Tottingham have a bad habit of 'sniping' Hammers transfer targets, so the less that is made public the better. However David Moyes did allude to the fact that "It is difficult to keep the club's interest in a player under a lid nowadays", and without putting too much of a conspiracy spin on things, it seems that the 59 year old Scot is worried that there might be a 'mole' at the club, someone who may have 'inadvertently' let slip Hammers transfer list in the past!
With less than 48 Hours to go before the window opens, all eyes will be on Moyes and Newman to see what business can be concluded, preferably sooner rather than later. Ironically Hammers now enter a period where there are an astonishing SEVEN DAYS between fixtures, at least for one fortnight.
Quality NOT quantity is generally Moyes' mantra, but he might have to compromise his 'high values' slightly in order to help keep the club going, even if the purchases might not be so crucially in need once players start to return from injury. - Ed
Comments
Whilst i agree with what you say Nev
Moyes cannot afford to leave it till the very end of the window to do his business.
Of course being able to do a transfer quick depends on the fee being agreed the player being happy with his contract offer and of course the selling club happy to let a player go early without a replacement lined up themselves it is a minefield so lets just hope Moyes knows who he wants and gets the wheels in motion quicksmart.
Also just because we need a
Also just because we need a defender and a striker that doesn’t mean we have to go out and buy any old player just because they are available. I don’t mind paying a premium but only if I am getting quality, that little bit extra.
We need a defender
We need a left-back but I cannot understand why Moyes has not played Armstrong Ochoflex this boy is on fire watched his last game against spuds (under 21's) he is ready! and if the boy makes it then our priority becomes an Established Midfielder preferably left-footed Nathan Ake or Nat Philips an experienced left-back Rico Henry. It's ok Moyes writing in the Evening standard but it looks as though he's going down the shops too late in this window and all the Goodies will have been bought by Newcastle. Maybe we can get 2 players on loan with an option to buy, if we want to get into Europe again Sullivan & co have got to put their hands in their pockets we only just got out of not buying a striker this season by the skin of our teeth and let's face it our squad are no spring chickens Cresswell, Fabianski, Ogbonna, and Antonio so he's got to invest soon why not do it now while we are in a few cup competitions
Well said Cast Iron
Lets hope Moyes takes note