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Player Sales Loans And Bargains Needed To Fund Stage 2 Of Pelle's Plan

nevillenixon's picture
Submitted by nevillenixon on Tue, 19/03/2019 - 12:24

Be careful what you wish for....Having stumped up a not inconsiderable £90 Million or so to fund stage one of Manuel Pellegrini's three year plan to take West Ham to that legendary next level, the Hammers hierarchy find themselves in an unusual but not unpleasant situation depending on your take of the status quo.

While European qualification might be a target too far this season, there is every hope that next season the club can push on and really challenge to be 'best of the rest' or even break in to the top six, this however depends on sustaining levels of expenditure that were unheard of before Manuel Pellegrini's arrival. Of course FFP will rear it's ugly head at some point, so we thought we would do a little number crunching to see what is the best way forward, after all it would be extremely wasteful for the club not to capitalise on the successes of this season, especially the raising of the club's profile.

Last summer's unprecedented spending is obviously unsustainable without certain measures, namely the trimming down of the 'high earners'. Allowances have to be made, but the days of West Ham being a club that provides a 'final pay day' for players seeking one last fat cheque are over, Pellegrini's presence ensures that although he is not perfect, his insistence of giving Jack Wilshere a three year contract is proving to be a costly error and takes the gloss off of what was a near perfect transfer window.

Looking ahead to next season, the funding of new arrivals will have to be based on players sales and wages saved, in the past West Ham have paid handsomely in order to attract players to a 'less glamorous' club, but the club's profile has been elevated to such a level that these type of 'loaded' deals are unnecessary and should be confined to the history books. The club will look to make use of the loan system by bringing in young players from 'elite' clubs that need game time while at the same time as promoting from within, the club's current crop of youngsters have vast potential, a fact not lost to Manuel Pellegrini.

It is worth remembering that Hammers most successful finish in recent years was achieved using three prominent loanees, Alex Song from Barcelona, Victor Moses from Chelsea and Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal. So using loan deals can be a useful option so long as it is in conjunction with clever purchases and promoting the youth. Andy Carroll's ridiculous six year contract finally comes to an end and he will be first out the door, any hopes of a contract extension are pure fantasy Island and agent's talk, you can also bet your house on the fact that Marko Arnautovic will be going to pastures new while Lucas Perez looks as though he has been deemed surplus to requirements and could be on his way to Spain.

There will be an almighty cull at the end of this season, but what will be left in conjunction with the new arrivals and increased use of the youth team will be a much fitter leaner proposition, a team that can genuinely challenge for honors, however next season the club will have to avoid 'second album syndrome' by astute use of it's finances and the extensive acquisition system put in place by Mario Hussilos and Manuel Pellegrini. The opportunity is there for the Board to make good the promises they made ahead of leaving the much loved Boleyn Ground, the situation will require further commitment but also the continued absence of David Sullivan from the Media.

It has taken a long time but Sullivan has finally realised that he does more harm than good when he speaks out, even if his intentions are good. In his case no news is definitely good news and long may it continue -Ed

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It's amazing ,you can be lucky and you can be unlucky ,I think wheelchair was a no brainer ,3 year contract?? It's like throwing a boot full of 500 euro notes off a Chanel ferry .
Carroll is gone and Arni is oiling the chain on his bike .
Perez never clicked ,but what about little Sammie ?,the apprehension was palpable when it was first mentioned he was coming but it looks to have been a wonder signing

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71 users have voted.

Burkie 1

andycarrollstyle's picture

Can't wait to see the back of Carroll and Wilshere... will drive them myself to their new home - it will be a nice cosy place, with constant temperature, lunch served promptly each day at 12pm and they can sit with old friends like Kieron Dyer and reminisce about the good old days

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62 users have voted.

Blimey Nev talking of new starts, we seem to have had more "new starts" than an old Austin Maestro I've followed the club for what seems like many lifetimes and have seen many false dawns, new owners, new managers, new players, and now new ground, and yet we still have the same West Ham. My son, who followed me in supporting the Irons and has a degree in Psychology says that supporting West Ham is like life; good times, bad times, elation, and ultimately dissapointment. But would we swap it for a another? No effing way! Our transfer dealings have always been a mystery, Wilshere was a very promising player, his games for England and that other London farce (sic) showed his ability and promise but his career littered injuries should have been a deterent to any club, step forward West Ham. Look forward to the future lads, but don't expect too much.

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90 users have voted.
Dartford Bhoy's picture

My son is 28 and says I have followed West Ham through thin and thin! Like your boy, wouldnt ever swap West Ham!

Said it before, Man City fans haven't been this happy since the supported Chelsea :o)

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79 users have voted.

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