With only two games remaining in the season and with recent announcements of some of the players’ contract renewals, our focus starts to shift towards next season.
Earlier last week, West Ham announced that Fabianski, Cresswell, Ings and Coufal will all be leaving at the end of the season. The total of the four players leaving saves the club around £275,000 per week, which is good, but this also means that THREE homegrown players will need to be brought in to fulfil the 8 homegrown player quota.
Despite those four being confirmed to leave, almost the entire squad has been deemed to be up for sale by Potter, which starts to beg the question… how many incomings are we going to have next season?
The club are anticipating Potter to revamp the club, which he’d informed them of during his hiring process in January. It is expected that over 10+ incomings are to be made in this upcoming window. We certainly won’t be challenging Nottingham Forest’s Premier League record of 21 signings in a window, but we most definitely will be in the double digits.
As well as many others, moves for Mavropanos, Guido Rodriguez and Aguerd are the three closest to an exit. Aguerd has publicly made it known that he doesn’t want to play in Claret & Blue next season, Mavropanos is unwanted by Potter, and Guido is eyeing a move to River Plate.
With all these moves in mind and many others to happen soon, you can see why a window of 10+ signings seems a possibility. We do know that Potter will be utilising some of the returning youth players; the likes of Potts, Earthy and Callum Marshall, all players who flourished on their loan spells this season.
Jean-Clair Todibo technically is already our first signing this window, with the obligation being triggered, which does take money out of Potter’s supposed budget, but there’s definitely money left over in the kitty, albeit what Sully will suggest.
Will Sullivan let Potter raid the chambers just as Lopetegui did, or is the £5,000,000-£10,000,000 transfers going to become more of an occurrence? Should we rather spend a chunk of money on a proclaimed ‘world-class’ player, or spread the money out on a few ‘nobodies’ and see where it lands…
Comments
I think less is more where
I think less is more where valuations are concerned. No marquee signings for me. We need proven work rate and end product. More is definitely needed where quantity of bodies are concerned. Tried and tested, young and hungry. They should be the salient words here.
One things for certain
We cannot hang about waiting for players to make a decision make them the best offer we can if they dither then move on....when you think with all the rumours that Ants and Fulkrug will also be going that leaves us with no striker and IMO we will need at least three one main striker one backup and another when the obvious injuries hit....so as soon as the window opens Sully best stop Lowballing every offer and back Potter otherwise the season to come will turn into the one we are all fearing.
They're going to have
A hard job selling this joke of a club to any prospective player apart from offering OTT wages. Probably have a hard job enticing any die hard fans from the terraces to be motivated enough to play for the club and put in a proper never say die performance. Never known such apathy for a following season before a current one has finished.
As for youth players that have been "flourishing". Remind me again what leagues they were "flourishing in. Lets take a look at previous youth players who have departed to showcase their talents and where are they now. Conor Coventry, Reece Oxford, Burke, Mubama, Perkins, Ngakia, Josh Cullen, Harrison Ashby, Llongelo. Baptiste etc. etc.