Forum | General Discussion

David Moyes' Championship shopping list is concise but acute, ideally he would like to bring in "a couple of players", sooner rather than later, obtaining precious training time with his new players is paramount, unfortunately, as is common with Barclays Premier League deals, brinkmanship rears it's ugly head.

Many Hammers fans are mindful of how many players have chosen NOT to come to the London Stadium, admittedly a great deal of players' reticence was caused by the prospect of being in a relegation dog fight, that element has dissipated somewhat as a result of the crushing victories over 'High Flying' Wolves and Leicester City.

Shopping in the 'bargain basement' can reap rewards, as has been seen by the purchase of Jarrod Bowen, however West Ham United are not alone as they seek bargains, most other Barclays Premier League teams are doing exactly the same, consequently some potential acquisitions will be priced out of a move by other clubs 'swooping' in and grabbing them. One such player is Swansea City's Joe Rodon, Hammers had expressed serious interest in the 22 year old centre back, however Jose Mourinho is also interested and would use the possibility of playing alongside Gareth Bale as an incentive.

Tottenham's's initial bid is for less than half of Swansea's valuation, so there is still a chance of Roden joining David Moyes' team, but there is also the chance of Tottenham starting a bidding war which will not suit the Irons, especially if the North London outfit push the price right up and then relent at the last minute meaning West Ham will have paid over the odds.

Minful of the potential pit falls regarding Rodon, it appears Moyes has retained his interest in Wales based players by making enquiries fro not one but two club captains! Cardiff City's 29 year old captain Sean Joseph Morrison is a decent centre back, he was particularly highly valued by Neil Warnock who was Cardiff's manager at the time of previous enquiries about the player's availability, he has a good injury record, and in that respect represents a far better option than the recently released Jack Wilshire.

Swansea City's 24 year old captain Matt Grimes is another of Moyes central midfield targets, the Welsh club are reluctant to part with their prized assests but like all other clubs in the Championship are having to make hard decisions to offset the loss of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In these current times a 'buy one get free' visit to Wales might just happen, if Hammers fans think their club is cash strapped they should look at what is happening in the lower leagues.

Although Moyes' transfer kitty is small,it is vast compared to other 'struggling' teams, and spent wisely the money received from selling Grady Diangana, all of which the co-owners 'promised' would be made available for incoming transfers, could yield unanticipated benefits, with some clubs perhaps being to 'sniffy' about buying players from the lower leagues. West Ham are just one of several clubs forced to realign their forward planning, but cutting your cloth according to your means is a good start to what fans hope will be a sustainable campaign. - Ed

Fue divertido mientras duró, In other words, it was fun while it lasted, but now is time for West Ham fans, particularly the females, to say goodbye to Felipe Anderson with his good looks, disarming smile and short shorts. The grim reality is that for whatever reason, Anderson arrived, shone, and then burned, his stock having fallen to such an extent that no one wanted to buy him, and a loan arrangement with FC Porto was the only deal on the table.

In his first season Anderson was fantastic, his skills thrilled the Hammers faithful and it seemed only a matter of time before the club would rocket up the League, unfortunately 'second season syndrome' kicked in and the Brazilain went backwards, his incisive rune began terminating once he had run in to brick walls, whereas when he first arrived he always made opitions for himself, sadly options that he stopped seeing.

Whether it was because he was included in the Brazilian National squad after his first season at the London Stadium is a matter of debate, whatever the reason, he went from being a valued £36 Million player to a periphery once David Moyes returned as the 'emergency' replacement for Pellegrini. Moyes elected NOT to use Anderson, questioning the player's desire and commitment, the pattern continued during the season's restart and has continued in to the new season.

Moyes clearly doesn't 'fancy' Anderson, so moving him and his not inconsiderable wages off the club's books makes sense, many though will feel it is a pity that Felipe has to go, referencing the vast amount of money 'splurged out' on Jack 'Wheel chair' among others.

Unfortunately there isn't currently space in the team for additional flair players, they are a luxury that Hammers cannot afford if they are to avoid another messy relegation scrap, perhaps next season, having hopefully achieved a mid-table finish, the club might be able to push on, of course there might be new owners in place by then, we can but hope!- Ed

West Ham United and Jack Wilshire have come to a mutual agreement in terminating his current contract from today onwards, the ex-england midfielder will consequently be able to sign for other clubs any where because he will be a free agent and as such can sign outside the transfer window.

Wilshere's time at the London Stadium has been an unmitigated disaster, he managed a total of only nine starts in over two years of his three year £100,000 per week deal, it is not as if he didn't have 'previous', Jack's departure is just the start of a financial cull that will see other high earners leave the club, one way or another.

It was not Wilshere's fault that he was handed such a ludicrous deal, and he would have been a fool not to sign it, the fool was the person who sanctioned it, Manuel Pellegrini! - Ed

With the closure of the transfer window looming closer it has become quite apparent that it is highly unlikely for any new players arriving in time to be registered, having failed with plenty of bids it appears the club will be looking towards the Championship and lower leagues for reinforcements. With the transfer window between Premier League and Championship clubs not closing for a further 11 days there is plenty of time to close deals.

QPR Left back Ryan Manning is entering the final 12 months of his contract, meaning the 24 year old could be available for a relatively knock down price, either he, or as we have previously mentioned, Swansea's Joe Rodon represent far better value than some of the other alternatives available, especially some of the loan deals from Barclays Premier League clubs that have been mooted.

The security people at Rush Green were asked earlier today if they expected to be there late this evening, one of them said "Put it this way, we will be able to get down the pub for a drink before the 'new last orders' can be called". If this snippet is anything to go by it basically confirms that there will be no new arrivals during the evening, however that doesn't mean there won't be any departures. Unfortunately, Josh Cullen is set to leave West Ham to join Belgian side Anderlecht on a permanent deal for what is a ludicrously low £1 Million, albiet with a 25% sell on clause.

It is not good to see another 'talent' leave the club, but realistically Cullen wasn't going to get too much game time, and at 24 years old it seems it will suit all parties for him to move on and enjoy playing week in week out, if he does go we wish him well. The other outward bound player rumoured to be of interest is Felipe Anderson, anything less than a loan fee AND his wages paid in full would be crazy to countenance, if a club won't pick up the full tab it is probably better to keep him and hope that Moyes can work his magic by rejuvenating the Brazilian.

Back in the day, David Sullivan et all used to like to pull a rabbit out of the hat on deadline day, this time they don't need to, they have Jim White instead! - Ed