Forum | General Discussion

West Ham United's pursuit of Felipe Anderson last season was a departure from the club's usual way of doing business, the reason being that the negotiations were conducted in 'private' by Mario Husillos and Manuel Pellegrini. The deal took a long tome to get over the line, and indeed seemed like it would never happen on numerous occasions, but eventually the pair's determination to get their man paid off handsomely.

Likewise the club's pursuit of Maxi Gomez has taken a convoluted path, however as was the case with Anderson, the serious parts of the negotiations are being kept secret until the deal is successfully concluded. Of course things could go awry if another club came in to hijack the deal, and there is also the matter that Gomez would prefer to remain in Spain, however in modern football when money talks loyalty usually walks!

One by one the clubs who were 'linked' with approaches for the 22 year old Uruguayan striker have fallen by the way side, meaning sites like www.bestsportsbooks.co have reappraised the odds for whether West Ham will finish the new season by qualifying for Europe, essentially there are very few European based clubs that can afford the overall costs of the type deal that will be required to acquire the 'hit man's' services. At such a young age he has a guaranteed sell on value which is what teams who had been interested were bargaining on, however Hammers have the financial muscle to 'blow most competitors out of the water' and look as if they will be rewarded for their determination by finally landing the player they have shown 'extreme' interest in since way before the last transfer window.

Should Gomez arrive it will definitely see the departure of Javier Hernandez from the club, he has no shortage of suitors but his massive wages are a real problem with West Ham possibly having to pay part of his wages even when he has been moved on, or accept a paltry fee for the Mexican International who is no spring chicken at the age of 31. With Andy Carroll due to be released from his contract within the week and Lucas Perez already sold there will be a definite need for replacements, but quality rather than quantity seems to be the order of the day.

Rumours that West Ham are interested in signing 35 year old free agent Emmanuel Adebayour are a little frightening, and we believe are just 'click bait', we cannot envisage El Pel and the Huse undoing all the good work they have done in reducing the overall age of the squad by adding a player who is well past his prime, even if his prime was good at the time! Come in Maxi, your time is up! - Ed

Having been 'linked' with a combined total of in excess of £140 Million for players other clubs seek to prise from the club, West Ham United have also been 'linked' with bringing in just about every player with a pulse that is available, or unavailable as the case may be. The column inches surrounding Manchester United and approaches for both Declan Rice and Issa Diop are full and far, possibly due to a misogynistic male lack of reporting of the Women's World Cup.

One incoming 'player of interest' to West Ham is Lorient's Alexis Claude-Maurice, but they want to eek as much money out of the deal as possible, an entirely reasonable course of action. The 21 year old striker would apparently prefer a move to the Bundesliga at this stage of his career, and Wednesday’s L’Equipe quotes him as saying: “I want to join Monchengladbach, it is a club that relies on young people, there is a good structure, the team will play in the Europa League. This project pleases me and suits me.”

Borussia Monchengladbach have offered €8 Million which Lorient say is ‘insufficient’, and they’ve claimed they have offers of €15 Million. Claude-Maurice is unhappy that his club are trying to ‘force his hand, and L’Equipe then add: ‘Especially since the offer of West Ham, who have never spoken with the player, has reached Lorient via the McKay family, and the situation around the transfer, after the sad case of Emiliano Sala, does not fill Claude-Maurice with confidence or a good feeling.’

*News has recently broken regarding the arrest of a 64 year old man in connection with a manslaughter charge relating to the sad loss of Emiliano Sala, although no one has been named there is growing speculation that the person who was released pending investigation was closely connected to the McKay family.

Arsenal were the first Premier League club to be 'linked' with Claude Maurice, but have withdrawn their interest because the price had risen too much! Crikey Mikey, how the mighty have fallen? What is going on in 'Gooner Land?', one can only conclude that Mezut Ozil and the other catastrophically expensive players they have on their books just cannot be moved on for love nor money, or could the potential whiff of scandal regarding dealing with the 'McKay situation' have 'put off' the Arsenal hierarchy?

Ozil and Co arrived during a period when fans demanded to see some end product for the huge amount of money they were paying as season ticket holders to visit the Emirates Stadium, the manager and the board 'capitulated' and paid insane fees and wages for 5* Star players who turned out to be unleaded mercenaries. There is a word of caution to Hammers fans gleaming the news feeds hoping for additional signings, sometimes you really do have to be careful of what you wish for! - Ed

"They fly so high, nearly reach the Sky, then like my dreams......" If ever there was a more apt Football supporters song than Bubbles, particularly when referencing West Ham United, then we would like to hear what it is! For nigh on 60 years Hammers have struggled to replicate the team that 'won' the 1966 World Cup, won in Europe and won domestically, always failing in one way or another, well that's all about to change.

Even the most ardent of Hammers sites and webloggers are hesitant to 'big up' the potential arrival of long term target Maxi Gomez, it's as if they have been let in to the sweet shop that they have coveted all their lives and don't know what to do with their new found delight. Ahead of last season no one actually thought that Felipe Anderson would actually arrive at the club, it was the usual smoke and mirrors from the board was the general feeling of most fans, but looked what happened!

Following the recent acquisition of Villarreal star Pablo Fornals for £24 Million, news that West Ham United's as yet undisclosed but rumoured to be £31 Million bid for long term target Maxi Gomez had been accepted was met with widespread disbelief. Hammers fans have become so used to playing second fiddle in the transfer market, that to see the club doing battle with 'the big boys' is just as refreshing as it is unique.

Somehow, somewhere Manuel Pellegrini and Mario Husillos have managed to work their magic by not only finding the correct players, but also getting the necessary promises of funding from the Hammers hierarchy. On that topic there has been an uneasy cloud hovering over the club with regards to Issa Diop, with Manchester United apparently ready to offer £45 Million plus a player in exchange for the combative 22 year old French International, dubbed 'the beast' by ex-United and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

According to a Hammers spokesperson the club have given short shrift to the Red Devils approach “Their interest is of no interest to us whatsoever, it’s very simple, he is going nowhere, Issa is a major part of the team and at his age is set to become an integral part of things at West Ham for many years to come.”

If this declaration is adhered to, and the players keep arriving, then West Ham Fans might just begin to believe that Bubbles don't always fade and die! - Ed