Forum | General Discussion

The Barclays Premier League’s domestic rules currently only cover the top tier, stating that clubs may not have more than two players on loan at any one time, a total of only four loans in the season and not more than one player from the same club at any given time, there are no restrictions on how many players can be sent out on loan.

This edict especially has an impact on a West Ham squad that is being reshaped bit by bit by current manager David Moyes, Moyes as most people are aware is operating with one hand tied behind his back as he attempts to correct the transfer failures of the past while trying to ensure there is not a repeat of the 'Pellegrini profligacy' in the future.

Well, on one count the situation is set in stone, David Moyes does not have, and will not have even a fraction of the funds that were made available to his predecessor for 'marquee' signings, Moyes will be lucky to end up with a two man tent! However as has been seen by the signings that Moyes has been involved in, there is light at the end of the tunnel, unfortunately the light is only vague and is dependent on 'variables'. None more so than the club's ability to shift players around in order to get the overall best for the club and it's players.

The loan market is an area that Hammers majority shareholder David Sullivan prefers to do his shopping in, and to that effect the signings of Tomas Soucek, Said Benrahma and quite remarkably Craig Dawson have all proved to be superb. Regrettably the restriction on the number of loan players puts David Moyes in an awkward position, he has to somehow shuffle the pack in order to make room for 'fresh blood'. Speaking of blood, the easiest way out of the loan situation would be to turn Dawson's loan in to a permanent deal, he is available for around £1 Million and given how well he has performed in the last few matches would appear to be an adroit purchase, the only problem is the player's propensity for collapsing during the early part of the games he is playing in.

David Moyes rather sheepishly 'fended off' questions about Dawson's tendency to collapse by saying that it was "a blood sugar thing", it is to be hoped that these 'intermissions' are as a result of not having played a full game for months since his arrival on loan from relegated Watford, but the conventional wisdom regarding 'blood sugar issues' is that such things are invariably a portent of impending Diabetes.

Diabetes does not mean a player's career is over, back in the day, Gary mabbut was a high profile sufferer of Diabetes, but managed to play at the top level for years, however given Hammers' atrocious list of 'medical liability signings', there is an obvious note of caution emanating from the club with regards to making Dawson's loan permanent.

Beggars can't be choosers, and currently West Ham are in the beggars camp, there is no point in embarking on the 'blame game', what has happened to West Ham has happened, the club is not alone in making wildly over priced acquisitions, it is just that those mistakes have exponentially affected owners who are incredibly 'poor' compared with the owners of other top flight clubs, the vast majority of which are 'ersatz' vanity projects for despots or whitewash attempts by dictatorial nations.

The only way West Ham will ever be able to compete at the very top is if the current owners sell up, and that is NOT going to happen any time soon. -Ed

The problem clubs have when they sell a high profile player, is that all the other clubs know that (a) there is a need to replace the player, and (b) that the club has funds available from the sale, which means that selling clubs crank up the price of possible acquisitions, West Ham are not alone in experiencing this situation.

Sebastien Haller's 'sudden' transfer to Ajax has left Hammers down to the 'arry redknapps', or bare bones for those not in the know, outsiders will conclude that following the transfer David Moyes will have money burning a hole in his pocket that he just can't wait to spend on a replacement striker, after all £20 Million is a lot of money.

Unfortunately this is NOT the case, the transfer fee for Haller is due to be paid in instalments by Ajax, meaning the club only receive an initial payment of around £5 Million, with the rest paid at £5 Million per year for the next three years, hardly a windfall!

So all the media talk of West Ham looking at this player and that player is hot air, with a large grain of salt thrown in, ANY deal that the club complete will essentially be dictated by the financial terms that are agreed, in West Ham's case that means spreading the payments over a long period of time for potential permanent signings, or failing that loan deals with an option to buy, which is the club's preferred business method of late.

There are however difficulties even in arranging loan deals, due to the fact that the Irons already have two players on loan, the maximum amount permissible being two. Said Benrahma and Craig Dawson are both on loan from Brentford for the former and Watford for the latter, making either or both of the deals permanent would free up the vital loan spaces.

Completing Benrahma's deal would involve a second medical and also the club paying over a hefty wedge of money, that seems unlikely given the club's current financial plight, so perhaps making Dawson's loan deal permanent might be the way forward. The original loan deal for Dawson included an option to buy the player for £1 Million, it is an option that the club will probable exercise early, the only slight issue being Dawson's propensity for 'collapsing' early on in games, perhaps Hammers vastly experienced medical team might want to take a closer look before the club pulls the trigger for a permanent deal.

Fluminese's Marcos Paulo, Napoli's Arkadiusz Milikand Hertha Berlin's Krzysztof Piatek, are the most recent names added to the 'Hammers are interested in' list, the one thing they all have in common is that they are relatively CHEAP, that is not to say that they are bad players, but possibly good players in bad situations. We will be running a feature on them, following this article. - Ed Jnr

Having relentlessly mocked the signing of Craig 'Les' Dawson from Watford on loan, it is time for we at the Org to eat a little 'umble' pie, Dawson has defied the odds by putting in some very decent performances as part of a West Ham defence that has not conceded a goal in the three starts the centre back has made.

Make no mistake, Dawson has seized the opportunity to become one of football's 'renaissance men' instead of 'relegation men', no one, including the player himself, would have envisaged that he would be picked to play ahead of 23 year old Issa Diop, who was valued as highly as £60 Million before his form fell off the cliff.

Having been relegated with West Brom AND Watford, fans were obviously reticent to embrace Dawson's arrival for fear of his relegation vibe effecting the rest of the squad, those fears are obviously dissipating as the weeks go on and as the club continues to hold it's own in mid table.

Dawson arrived on a season's loan with an option to buy, despite his stellar performances it is unlike y that the option to buy will be exercised due to the player's aqe, although some might say that 30 years old is OK for a centre back, after all, 'The Angel of Ogbonn' Angelo Ogbonna is 32 years old and playing the best football of his career, his performances being so good that he was selected for the Italian national team during the last international break, only to miss out through injury.

Issa Diop might well feel aggrieved at his lack of game time, but he doesn't appear to be a player who rocks the boat, more like a player who has the desire to learn from others with more experience and who wants to progress as far as possible.

David Moyes is building a team, not a collective of individuals, the team spirit is plain for all to see, how many times in the past would Hammers have folded against 'lesser' opposition on a turnip patch of a water logged pitch? - Ed

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Eddie Nketiah will not join West Ham United, his simple answer when questioned if Nketiah might end up at the London Stadium was 'NO'. He then went on to elucidate, by explaining that Arsenal were not in the habit of providing players for their Barclays Premier League rivals.

This inverted compliment shows just how far David Moyes has managed to move the club forwards, albeit with the odd ricket here and there along the way. It is a long time, if ever, since a club of Arsenal's enormous financial clout has worried about little old West Ham!

Manuel Pellegrini managed to plough through huge sums of money in over priced ill advised 'vanity' signings, but they pale in to insignificance when compared with some of Arsenal's expenditures, London rivals Chelsea have also splashed the cash with little or no return, so it not just West Ham who have been 'spanked' recently. THe difference being that both Arsenal and Chelsea, and that other lot from North London, ALL have access to far greater funds than West Ham, a situation that engenders enormous anger among Hammers fans who feel they were 'conned' by statements declaring the monies from the sale of the Boleyn would help push the club to 'another' level.

Under Pellegrini West Ham United DID nearly reach another level, THE CHAMPIONSIP! So perhaps fans baying for new signings should remember the old adage of 'be careful what you wish for', you might just get it! - Ed