Welsh Rare Bit?

David Moyes' Championship shopping list is concise but acute, ideally he would like to bring in "a couple of players", sooner rather than later, obtaining precious training time with his new players is paramount, unfortunately, as is common with Barclays Premier League deals, brinkmanship rears it's ugly head.

Many Hammers fans are mindful of how many players have chosen NOT to come to the London Stadium, admittedly a great deal of players' reticence was caused by the prospect of being in a relegation dog fight, that element has dissipated somewhat as a result of the crushing victories over 'High Flying' Wolves and Leicester City.

Shopping in the 'bargain basement' can reap rewards, as has been seen by the purchase of Jarrod Bowen, however West Ham United are not alone as they seek bargains, most other Barclays Premier League teams are doing exactly the same, consequently some potential acquisitions will be priced out of a move by other clubs 'swooping' in and grabbing them. One such player is Swansea City's Joe Rodon, Hammers had expressed serious interest in the 22 year old centre back, however Jose Mourinho is also interested and would use the possibility of playing alongside Gareth Bale as an incentive.

Tottenham's's initial bid is for less than half of Swansea's valuation, so there is still a chance of Roden joining David Moyes' team, but there is also the chance of Tottenham starting a bidding war which will not suit the Irons, especially if the North London outfit push the price right up and then relent at the last minute meaning West Ham will have paid over the odds.

Minful of the potential pit falls regarding Rodon, it appears Moyes has retained his interest in Wales based players by making enquiries fro not one but two club captains! Cardiff City's 29 year old captain Sean Joseph Morrison is a decent centre back, he was particularly highly valued by Neil Warnock who was Cardiff's manager at the time of previous enquiries about the player's availability, he has a good injury record, and in that respect represents a far better option than the recently released Jack Wilshire.

Swansea City's 24 year old captain Matt Grimes is another of Moyes central midfield targets, the Welsh club are reluctant to part with their prized assests but like all other clubs in the Championship are having to make hard decisions to offset the loss of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In these current times a 'buy one get free' visit to Wales might just happen, if Hammers fans think their club is cash strapped they should look at what is happening in the lower leagues.

Although Moyes' transfer kitty is small,it is vast compared to other 'struggling' teams, and spent wisely the money received from selling Grady Diangana, all of which the co-owners 'promised' would be made available for incoming transfers, could yield unanticipated benefits, with some clubs perhaps being to 'sniffy' about buying players from the lower leagues. West Ham are just one of several clubs forced to realign their forward planning, but cutting your cloth according to your means is a good start to what fans hope will be a sustainable campaign. - Ed