Do Irons Need Cast Offs?

Murmurings about Hammers lack of recruitment during this transfer window have grown increasingly louder as the days tick by, the facts are simple but the reasons multitudinous as to why exactly David Moyes has failed to sanction even ONE transfer so far.

Unless the financial backing available from the board is pure fabrication, which we very much doubt, then the only reasons must be three fold. Either the players available aren't good enough, or they are too expensive or currently unavailable and can only be signed in the next window.

Let's deal with the issues in reverse order, players who the club wants but will only become available in the next window. Most all of the club's alleged targets are in the process of running their current contracts down, with James Tarkowski and Jesse Lingard being the most prominent, but neither Burnley nor Man Utd are willing to sell to West Ham for different reasons, the former because they are in a relegation dog fight and the latter because they view Hammers as direct competitors.

Next players that are too expensive, this is a grey area because of the actual costs involved in transfers can vary enormously depending on how many agents and representatives are involved, the initial cost of the player can often be dwarfed by their wage demands. So the definition of too expensive has to be made after factoring ALL costs involved, that is before the final and most important element, are they good enough?

Again the term 'good enough' is open to interpretation, good as in skilled? Or good as in any of many of ways? Is the prospected acquisition a good team player? David Moyes demands all those qualities mentioned AND more, but are his expectations just a little unrealistic if he doesn't allow himself some degree of flexibility?

Moysie is renowned for his sometimes obsessive due diligence which can border on extreme stubbornness, a quality that has served him and West Ham well that he crafted while having to manage on a shoe string during his tenure at Everton. Someone has GOT to get him to lighten up and remind him that for once 'the kitty isn'y empty'! -LN