Having watched a considerable amount of resources get poured in to a team containing several expensive but under performing players, Hammers chief share holder David Sullivan decided a while ago that his network of 'shady' agents could access players just as easily as sacked head of recruitment Mario Husillos could.
The writing was on the wall for a 'desperation' spend in order to rescue the club from the serious threat of relegation it now faces, the problem was that neither Manuel Pellegrini with his 'big club' mentality, nor Husillos were actually very good at buying 'inexpensive' players, preferring to go high end using the quality not quantity principal. This course of action is absolutely fine if, and it is a salient if, you have a large squad!
The Barclays Premier League is an unforgiving environment, the cut and thrust of which takes it toll, and injuries are common place, a big squad absorbs these and has strength in depth to cover a star player's absence, Hammers most definitely don't have a big squad, wafer thin would be a more apt description, or down to the bare bones as 'H' Redknapp used to regularly say during his tenure as West Ham United manager.
One decision taken by Pellegrini and Husillos that particularly 'irked' Sullivan was their insistence on offering injury prone Jack Wilshere a THREE year contract worth a total of £15 Million in wages for the length of the contract, Sullivan only wanted to offer a one year deal, obviously with hindsight he was correct. The problem with the Wilshere deal was it created an 'uneasiness' in Sullivan's mind regarding future transfers, the lack of trust was compounded by the disaster that was Roberto Jiminez Gago, the worst goal keeper in the entire football league, (with the possible exception of Joe Hart) the fact that Husillos thought Roberto could be a first choice keeper ahead of Lukasz Fabianski says it all.
Since joining from Arsenal Wilshere has made just ten appearances for West Ham United in over eighteen months at a cost of £7.5 Million, £750,000 per game is 'Carrollesque to the extreme! There are some who believe the 'real' Jack Wilshere is having a great time playing in South America, having left a perpetually injured clone here to pick up his wages.
If he could, Sullivan would 'bounce' Wilshere during this transfer window, but who on earth would risk taking him? The recently submitted accounts for the club show a £27 Million loss, it would only have been £22 Million had the club not been bleeding £5 Million a year to keep Jack in the treatment room!
Well, El Pel has gone, as has the Huse, and it seems that there has been significant searching behind the sofa at Sullivan's Theydon Bois mansion for extra funds to at least give David Moyes a fighting chance, the arrival of Tomas Soucek is a 'bloody good bit of business' according to pundits and observers, and more importantly the fans as well!
Work still needs to be done on bringing in a right back and possibly an additional striker, but strikers in particular are always an expensive commodity during the January window, so it is in defence that the remaining funds need to be used. In an ideal World the club would be looking at securing an additional left back, although that position can be covered by fit again youth sensation Ben Johnson.
If nothing else David Moyes is a street wise fighter, most definitely not most fans' cup of tea, but needs must, and if he is provided with the signings he needs during the next three days he has a good chance of steering the club to safety, it won't be easy, but with Moyes at the helm there is at least hope, so long as he is backed by the board. - Ed
