Kitty Empty & The Cupboard Is Bare- Do You Care?
As we approach the first games of project restart there has been the inevitable surge in transfer rumours, West Ham United feature in plenty of them, it is quite astonishing to see some of the club's 'supposed' potential transfer targets. We have been linked with a whole bunch of them, from Adam Lallana and Thiago Silva through to Sami Khedira and numerous other over priced, over paid, past it players, and let's face it, Hammers' hierarchies past and present have taken that criteria to another level!
The latest spurious transfer target is supposedly Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, the 25 year old has been loaned out almost the entire time since he was signed for £40 Million in 2017, he spent the 2018/19 campaign on loan at AC Milan before being shipped to Monaco the following year, Bakayoko is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, and he doesn't see eye to eye with Blues manager Frank Lampard.
It is claimed that West Ham are in ‘pole position’ to sign the midfielder, with a Le 10 Sport report stating that the player could be available this summer for a fee of around £31.4 Million, but that Chelsea want 'the ful whack!' AC Milan with whom he was most recently on loan with chose not to take up their option to sign the French international even at a reduced fee. There must be an issue with the player if he has been doing the rounds on loan but has no one has ever taken up the option to make his loan permanent.
Apparently West Ham have also made an approach to sign Liverpool right-back Nathaniel Clyne, with Jeremy Ngakia about to leave at the end of the month, as well as Pablo Zabaleta at the end of the season, leaving only Ryan Fredericks, who has failed to impress since joining West Ham on a free transfer in the summer of 2018 and youngster Ben Johnson to cover the right back berth. Unfortunately mainly due to a series of injuries, Fredericks cannot be relied upon, but neither can Clyne, in fact Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is not even prepared to offer the 29 year old an extended deal until the end of the season.
Clyne joined Liverpool from Southampton in the summer of 2015 for around £15.8 Million, he will be able to leave Anfield on a free transfer at the end of this month, he has been lower down the pecking order to Trent Alexander-Arnold since the youngster burst onto the scene at Anfield. Clyne has experienced terrible injury problems over the past few years, so some with a gallows humour will suggest West Ham are always in need of another injury prone, ageing player on a massive salary!
There is however a certain 'small caveat', or indeed large Elephant in the room when it comes to all this transfer speculation, put quite simply the club is broke, there are no funds available and any chance of recouping large tracts of money through player sales have gone out the window with player values halved as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. David Sullivan will keep 'his investment' afloat by 'loaning' the club the funds needed to keep operating, but without the TV money that would have arrived by now, and of course the £24 Million of season ticket revenue which would have been received, the club is in no way capable of 'dipping' in to the market in any way shape or form.
The Kitty is empty, and the Cupboard is bare, try to get used to it, it's better not to care! - Ed
