West Ham Fans Born to be Claret and Blue

As the transfer rumour mill kicks into overdrive, it is worth considering the reality of the market. West Ham, having had such a good season, need extra players, and Sunderland's Argentinian Julio Arca, is one that fits the bill, both tactically, and financially. The reality is, that West Ham cannot compete on a level playing field with other 'established' Premiership clubs in the transfer market. Having got promoted by the skin of their teeth, Alan Pardew's team arrived in the top flight as favourites to go straight back down to the 'fizzy'. As everyone knows, they turned the bookies on their heads and did incredibly well, top half finish, FA Cup finalists and a place in the UEFA Cup. But West Ham also had a rather unpleasant piece of 'baggage' on tow, namely the Club's debt, which peaked in excess of £40 Million, despite the club having the 18th hightest financial turnover of any football team in the world! With such a massive debt to deal with, the board have actually gone out on a limb to give manager Alan Pardew the funds he has needed, but there is a limit, and new players will have to be begged, borrowed and stolen to make up the numbers, but AP is going to have to use all his wheeling and dealing 'nous' to get the very best value for his club. Along with 'big' transfers like Dean Ashton and hopefully Nikola Zigic, Pardew will have to make some astute purchases, Julio Arca is a classic case. Fiercly loyal, a quality much admired by Pardew, the Sunderland left midfielder would prove a superb addition to the Hammers young guns. With the exception of the inexperienced Reid, Hammers are woefully short of strength in depth on the left hand side of the pitch and Arca would definitely give his potential new manager a further option that has been previously denied him. West Ham Utd would love to go for the 'Gabri's ' of the world, but these players are on megabucks, even if they arrive on a 'free' their wages could prove to be destructive for a club that has just returned to fiscal stability, having previously had to sell off all their best young players, who now make up most of the England team, just to balance the books. Therefore caution must be the order of the day, if Hammers can survive and maybe even prosper, then there is a chance that the team could indeed start to be moulded into one that could genuinely begin challenging for domestic and european honours. Arca represents a good. if not totally inspiring prospective player, we have the feeling that Alan Pardew is going to need a few more unsung heroes, after all, look what happened to Hayden! - Ed