Forum | General Discussion

It is generally considered that there are few if any good deals available in the January transfer window, especially if you are the club looking to buy! West Ham United's activities during last January's window are a prime example, Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte arrived costing £20 Million and on combined wages of £165,000 per week, their signings were disastrous and a complete waste of valuable funds.
Andy Carroll To Chelsea?

During this window David Moyes has said that "we are looking at bringing in a couple of players, but they have to add to the quality of the squad and not just be there to make up the numbers." However he was a little more vague when it came to the question of potential player exits, in a week that has seen rumour after rumour about his strikers Moyes was keen to play down any sense of panic.

Diafra Sakho, Andy Carroll, Javier Hernandez and Andre Ayew have all been subjects of transfer speculation recently, but it is Andy Carroll's potential move to champions Chelsea that has garnered the most interest, especially on social media, and when news reached us that Hammers were only prepared to sell the big Geordie rather than loan him and that they were going to ask for £30,000,000 for him, we were dumbfounded! The only clear statement West Ham have made about Carroll is that he won't be leaving on loan, however there is a clear inference that if a sizeable bid did come in for him that it would probably be accepted, Carroll we are sure would welcome swapping the clubs' medical facilities!

Chelsea season ticket holders we have spoken to are aghast at such a move, but believe it might actually happen. Conte is a manager who looks to all intents and purposes that he will be on his bike at the end of the season so perhaps it doesn't really matter if they sign Carroll and it all goes wrong, and who knows he'd probably arrive there and score a hat load of goals, which is what tends to happen when players leave West Ham. Hammers supporters that we have canvassed would be aghast if Chelsea were stupid enough to do the deal, but didn't Liverpool supporters question the deal when he moved from Newcastle for what was then a british player domestic transfer record? Didn't West Ham supporters question the fee and the astonishing length of contract given to Carroll when he arrived at the Boleyn? For some reason managers always seem to be prepared to take a gamble on him, perhaps it is because on his day he can be completely unbeatable in the air and thus giving the possibility of the long punt upfield and of course serious dead ball options, but Carroll is a luxury Hammers can no longer afford and if Chelsea do come in for him West Ham fans think the clubs hierarchy should bite their hands off to get the deal done.

The bookies have drastically reduced their odds on Carroll going to Chelsea but have cooled on the Sakho to Palace rumour, the whole transfer market is a feeding zone for most of the large organisations but you can take advantage of new punter incentives and also seek out the best deals that become available here.

David Moyes' decision to start playing Marko 'Elbows' Arnoutovic in a more central role and allowing Manuel Lanzini the freedom to play higher up the pitch has resulted in the team's ability to 'mug' other teams with their speed and power, whether intentionally or inadvertently the result is less reliance on the traditional striker one would expect. Together they are a throw back to the 'little and large, big 'un and little 'un' forward line ups employed in the 60's and 70's, keeping them free of injury and making sure they don't get their heads turned by media speculation is vital to West Ham, between the two of them they take out so many opposition players from the game and now that Lanzini is not the only player being man marked spaces have begun to open up.

Since Moyes' arrival at the club he has worked wonders, but he has been helped enormously by the effort of some players, particularly Noble, Collins and Zabaleta who have a combined age of about one thousand! They along with Obiang, Kouyate and Ogbonna seem to have been re-born and Creswell is relishing playing as part of the back three and is returning to his best.

Unfortunately the momentum from Saturday's fine victory over Huddersfield will be lost because of what will be wholesale changes to the team that will be selected for tonight's FA Cup replay against Shrewsbury Town at the London Stadium. It will be a 'banana skin' tie and one in which Moyes will be reluctant to over use the players that he will need to select for this weekend's crucial home '6' pointer game against fellow relegation strugglers AFC Bournemouth, victory would send Hammers in to the heady heights of the top half of the table for the first time this season, and would virtually ensure Premier League survival even at this early stage, defeat would be catastrophic so it is pretty clear where Moyes' efforts will be focused.

Anyway, every cloud has a ...etc and tonight's match will give some of West Ham United's aspiring youngsters the chance to show what they are made of in front of a 'packed' London Stadium against determined opposition.Make no mistake about it, tonight the Shrewsbury Town players will play out of their skins and will be buzzed up by their terrific away support and the general atmosphere of playing in a stadium that looks just like a spaceship compared to their own ground!

An FA Cup run would be wonderful for West Ham and their fans would love it, but realistically although 'romantic' the Cup is secondary to the main cause of Premier League survival it would be nice to do both, but times have changed. Perhaps next season Hammers will hopefully be in a more comfortable league position when the FA Cup comes around, and be able to field teams that are capable of performing in both competitions but until then it is definitely one step at a time and off loading expensively acquired dead wood will leave a leaner meaner squad, Carroll, Hernandez, Sakho and probably Ayew's departure wouldn't be terrifying for fans neither would getting rid of Joe Hart, Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte. With the exception of Sakho those players were purchased for in excess of £90 Million, their combined wages including Hart's while on loan from City are over £550,000 per week!

Onwards and upwards, beginning at The London Stadium tonight! - Ed

Russian International forward Fyodor Smolov has indicated that he wants to sign for West Ham United later this month, 27-year old Smolov currently plays for FC Krasnodar in the Russian Premier League having joined them from Dynamo Moscow in 2015.

Since his arrival at Krasnodar Smolov has been smashing goals in at a phenomenal rate, 58 goals in 90 games for domestically and 11 goals in 28 games Internationally. With the 2018 F.I.F.A. World Cup that will be hosted in Russia on the horizon, Smolov is keen to showcase his abilities, and despite inferring that Hammer's style of play was too negative for him having watched West Ham's away game against Manchester City, the player now seems to have changed his mind having seen West Ham beat champions Chelsea, draw with Arsenal and Tottenham and totally destroy Stoke City.

Hammers Co-owner David Sullivan regrets last year's transfer business conducted during the January window, but knows his club need to reinforce to avoid a potentially financial Armageddon.

With Diafra Sakho on his way out the club, more than likely to join up with Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace for a fee of around £10 Million, the funds mean Moyes can sanction a legitimatel bid for the Russian ace Smolov, the fee being mooted is around £20 Million, small change for a goal scoring predator. The possibility of Javier Hernandez leaving to go to the MLS is now much more a reality as 'Chicarito' does not appear to fit in the manager's plans, there is history between Moyes and Hernandez during Moyes' ill fated tenure as Manchester United manager, although in all fairness Sir Alex Ferguson had a similar issues with the Mexican International who has scored 49 goals in 99 appearances for his country, the vast majority of which have been scored within the penalty box. It appears highly unlikely that David Moyes will structure his team around Chicarito, which surely heralds the Mexican's departure if not sooner then definitely later!

Assuming both Sakho and Hernadez depart, there will be a need to bolster West Ham's forward options because Andy Carroll cannot be relied upon to stay fit for more than a hand full of games, which would leave Antonio, Arnoutovic and Ayew as the main strikers with the possible addition of highly regarded U-23 player Toni Martinez who has been banging goals in for fun recently and in the past.

The addition of Smolov up front would create the sort of athletic mobility option that Moyes craves, fast pacey and able to destroy teams on the break. With the recruitment of one or two midfield players being the distinct priority, it is to be hoped the strikers deals can be concluded at the earliest possible opportunity, in order for the team to move forward in the New Year with more balance in it's formation. It is further hoped that West Ham can hold on to Reece Oxford despite offers for him reaching the £15 Million mark, how much will he be worth in a couple of years? West Ham's owners have repeatedly said that the club will no longer be selling it's best players unless better options are available, this transfer window will reveal a lot about where the club stands, and how serious the attempts will be made to really strengthen the team. - Ed