Manuel Pellegrini has been very clear to state that he is not seeking to sell any players during the January transfer window, he has actually inferred that he wants to bring 'a couple more. The only fly in the ointment being that the Hammers hierarchy have sent a clear message that any incomings will have to be financed by outgoing player sales and possibly loan fees, after all it isn't as if they haven't backed their manager up already in the transfer market but enough is enough.
Hammers 'expensively' assembled squad does feature some disproportionately high earners, not all of them as a result of Pellegrini, the chief culprit being Slaven Billic in the case of Javier Hernandez. The mexican International has earned and continues to earn a staggering £135,000 per week from the four year deal he was handed, such fiscal profligacy is fiscally unsustainable for a player who hasn't started games under three different West ham managers. In fact 'Chicharito's' cost per goal dynamic is very similar to the 'Unicorn' striker that is Andy Carroll!
Hernandez and Carroll are on a combined wage of £1 Million per month, give or take a few grand, that is some serious wedge! West Ham have traditionally been known as a club that pay decent wages, the club reguarly features in the top ten of payers, usually for players past their prime but with a few miles left on the clock. However this is supposed to be the new cut and thrusting West Ham that can go out on almost equal terms with the 'elite' when it comes to recruiting players, the massive TV revenue coupled with the fact that Hammers have not had to take out vast loans in order to finance increased capacity in the form of a new Stadium, unlike London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.
The only issue facing the possibility of offloading the unused high earners is who could afford them, and would they want to leave their 'cushy' little number at the London Stadium? Players' wives and girlfriends love London for it's shops and culture, selling a move 'oop' North may be easy to get a player's agreement, but it is the W.A.G.S that invariably make the final decision. In the case of Hernandez there are offers on the table, but they are all for loan deals with Hammers having to supplement his wages, one suspects the club would be prepared to take quite a hit on the £15 Million they paid for him just to get him off the wages bill.
The other 'old chesnut' has to be Andy Carroll, it's not his fault that he was given an eye watering deal, what should he have done? He just took what was on offer just like any sane human being would in similar circumstances, unfortunately the club still need to learn about signing expensive failures given the fact that they signed Jack Wilshere, but Wilshere apart all the rest of the signings represent relatively good value, especially in a market that is so artificailly inflated due to the TV revenues each and every Barclays Premier League club receive.
Freeing up enough money to bring in three or four players makes absolute sense given the lengthy long term injury list the club is having to deal with, no one would have anticipated losing the services of both Andrily Yarmolenko, Ryan Fredericks and Manuel Lanzini so early in the season, in Lanzini's case he never even got to be seen playing in person by Manuel Pellegrini. New recruits are definitley needed but good deals are hard to find during the January window, although the premium is usually cranked up most for strikers or creative players, fortunately Hammers main requirement is for an additional right back and a midfield enforcer.
Victor Moses and João Mário, from Chelsea and Inter Milan, are both apparently surplus to requirements at their clubs and both have experienced successfull loan spells with West Ham already in their careers, both are tailor made to slot straight in to a Manuel Pellegrini inspired team, both would benefit from the exposure gained from playing at the London Stadium, which despite fans' gripes is seen as an iconic Stadium and one of the best in the World, yes really! West Ham United is a club that people from abroad know much better that say Everton or any of the other clubs below the top six, and the London Stadium is seen as an ideal location to 'get a player's 'career back on track, so long as Hammers benefit what is the problem? - Ed
