Back To The Future Past For Irons Transfer

Hammers fans have already experienced transfer groundhog day during this window, it is akin to 'range anxiety' experienced by those lucky enough to afford an electric car, essentially one part of you knows everything will be OK, whereas the other panics and can see no light at the end of the tunnel.

There have been so many, nay too many ridiculous transfer claims made that have either been agent driven or not so subtely club driven via their pet media outlets. The truth regarding the Irons recruitment is shrouded in mystery, essentially because no one actually knows what is happening at the club, so how can they tell anyone else?

Before the transfer window opened there was a very clear acquisition criteria set out by David Moyes, ie: firm up the permanent transfer of Jesse Lingard following his successful loan spell from Manchester United, bring in a new striker, a new midfielder, a new centre back and a new goal keeper.

If, by the end of the window all these targets have been met, and all the club's valued players are still in place, then it cannot be viewed as anything other than a really successful transfer window,of course the question is, timing! Irrespective of who arrives at the LONDON DOME, with the exception of Alphonse Areola, they won't have joined up in time to 'bed in' with the rest of the squad, but that is the lot of teams who cannot afford to match the spending power of rich owners or state sponsored teams.

News that Manchester United have decided to throw Jesse Lingard out with the bath water comes as no surprise to many observers who saw through their little 'value enhancement' scheme, they played Lingard for the Patsy role, knowing that as a player who had come through their youth system that he would show incredible loyalty, which is exactly what Jesse Lingard did, and so he should have.

Now the dust has settled though, Lingard is surplus to requirements since the arrival of Jadon Sancho, any chance he had of forcing his way into United's starting line up evaporated when Sancho arrived, meaning Lingard was going to be a bit part player at best, not good for a player in his prime who still has perfectly reasonable aspirations of representing his country again, a situation that is far more likely to occur if he is at West ham.

So, if Lingard does arrive, then there is only the need for an additional centre back (crazy logic letting Balbuena leave) a midfielder and a striker. Instead of being sent out on loan, Conor Coventry is being ear marked as the midfielder to take over from Mark Noble's 'midfield cover' role.

If Lingard does join up, that then just leaves the mammoth in the room, the invisible striker, or striker number 50 for those in charge, after 49 duffers number 50 has to be 'pucker'! Even with an additional goalkeeper, striker, midfielder and a couple of others the squad is still painfully thin, but at least the Academy players available will be given a chance, it seems quite by mistake rather than design that the vast array of talent available to the club might actually get utilised as opposed to being continually ignored as in the past.

If Moyes brings Lingard in, the rest will follow, but would Lingard's arrival knock Said Benrahma's progress back and damage his confidence? Ed Jnr