Gian(t)luca Scamacca Fe Fi Fo Fums To Irons

Whisper it quietly but it has only taken David Moyes and West Ham nearly two years to replace one 'towering' striker with another, 6'5" Gianluca Scamacca is scheduled in for a medical on Monday as the club loooks to finalise his transfer from Sassuolo to London.

Although his height would seem to be his greatest asset, Gian(t)luca is far more nimble on his feet the forward he replaced Sebastien Haller. Haller is currently undergoing emergency treatment for testicular cancer, the whole of the West Ham 'family' have been unanimous in sending the Frenchman their best wishes for a speedy recovery and hope that he will again be strutting his stuff in the not too distant future.

Sassuolo drove a hard bargain for the player who joined them from PSV Eindhoven for a nominal fee four years ago, the final fee agreed with West Ham being around the £30.5 Million mark give or two the odd couple of Million in add ons. At just 23 years old Giantluca has years ahead of him and when he does eventually get sold on it will be for a favourable profit given how sought after 'top' strikers are.

Personal terms have NOT been agreed yet, so there is still the possibility of old nemesis' Tottingham or newly minted New'caste'l sticking their respective oars in! Hopefully Moyes and Newman have anticipated a late 'showing of interest' more out of spite than need by both the London club and the stonechuckers.

If the deal goes through smoothly it does present David Moyes with a conundrum, he can't exactly leave a £30 Million plus signing on the bench can he? So what does he do with big Ant? He could move Mikey out on to the wing, a position that he is naturally suited to, but who makes way and will they be happy?

Part of managing a 'big club' is keeping big ego's happy and content, David Moyes has never been known to have a 'gentle bedside' manner, so it will be interesting to see how he copes with keeping a ship containing HIS signings happily afloat.

Even when Scamacca is confirmed as Moyes' fourth signing there is still an awful lot of transfer work to do if the team are to continue 'feasting' at or near the top of the table, dining with the best costs REAL money, not Love Island tokens picked up on the cheap!

A left back, an additional attacking midfielder and also a utility defensive player are an absolute necessity, that is apart from the gaps that have been left vacant by player departures which also need to be filled. The club simply CANNOT go into the new season with another 'bare bones' squad, it simply will NOT work again!

It is little short of miraculous how high the club has finished over the last couple of seasons, the luck WILL run out without serious investment both in the short AND long term. We are NOT referencing the Lingard will he or won't he deal when talking about the money for deals, the player either wants to stay in the North of England or he IS indeed being paid a king's ransom, either way he is gone now and highly unlikely EVER to wear the Claret & Blue again, unless he signs for Villa or Burnley in the future!

Moyes and Newman are going to have their work cut out, GSB and K might have to allow 'open surgery' with their cheque books if the 'patient' is to become hale and hearty! - Ed