Forum | Non-Football Related

Sebastien Haller was at it again this evening, scoring ANOTHER two goals as Ajax beat Besiktas 2-1 in their Champions League tie. That makes it an astonishing NINE goals so far in the competition for the Hammers striker who failed to adapt to the Premier League and was sold for a £25 Million loss to Ajax.

Haller has been scoring goals for fun in Holland in what is considered to be a much less competitive league Champions League is a different level! Maybe Hammers should have given Haller more time, or maybe he just needed to be in a fresh environment having been severely tarnished during the Pellegrini era?-Ed

Daniel Kretinsky's inbound financial investment has sparked wide spread rumours of 'exotic' signings in January, NOTHING can be further from the truth! The reality is that while welcome, the funds brought in by Kretinsky are NOT being ring-fenced for player purchases, they are to be used to stabilise the club's finances following the enormous losses made as a result of the Covid pandemic.

That said, what the Kretinsky money does mean is that Hammers manager David Moyes WILL have access to the £20 Million received 'on Paper' from Ajax for the sale of Sebastien Haller. The money that had been earmarked for a new replacement striker 'evaporated', leaving Moyes with few if any options to strengthen in that area.

Nikola Vlasic WAS brought to the club for big money, however the payment structure was VERY accommodating for West Ham, a sort of very kind HP, this move was only sanctioned when it became clear negotiations with Kretinsky about him investing in the club had reached an advanced stage.

Of course the failed PAI(n) bid helped muddy the waters while the Kretinsky deal was being engineered, this helped the club line up certain signings during a period when clubs thought Hammers were truly brassic and unable to make 'significant' bids for players.

Having your access to finances in the public domain doesn't help managers, it just whacks the price up normally, a classic example being Manchester United, whenever they come calling for a player the price is instantly doubled! Hammers will be very wary of the 'new money' syndrome, hopefully Newcastle will be the recipients of over the top demands from clubs, while Moyes and Co can go about their business without distraction.

Don't expect a fleet of gleaming new attractions, it is rather more likely to be one or two at the most what is EQUALLY as important is for the club to retain its best players. - LN

Whenever a Premier League club gets a cash injection, whether by new owners or investors or by the sale of one of its prized assets, the media circus descends with all sorts of ludicrous suggestions as to who the club might buy. Invariably that ends up with virtually an entire team being looked at, with the increased speculation the price goes up most of the time.

The transfer window opens in just FIVE weeks time, normally there are few, if any bargains to be had, but this window is different! Clubs across Europe are still desperately trying to balance the books as the full financial effect of the Covid Pandemic on football finances become more and more apparent.

Instead of ramping prices up, clubs are trying to do their own 'black January deals by slashing prices to get their hands on the comparatively little funds available across the European Leagues. Very few are exempt, PSG, Real Madrid, Man City, Chelsea and possibly Man Utd are the only clubs flush with cash, all the rest are 'down to the bare bones' financially.

We'll cover the list of Hammers 'runners and riders' that include strikers from across Europe in the next article, we will also outline which clubs are totally brassic and have a need for 'speed sales'. There are now a raft of forwards apparently linked with the club, talk about Groundhog Day!

The reality is that 19-year-old Czech Republic International Adam Hlozek is essentially nailed on to join the club in January, his £15 Million price tag is academic in a way as his club Sparta Prague is owned by new Hammers board member Daniel Kretinsky. so 'inverting' the player's ownership should be pretty straight forward.

Although NOT a prolific goal scorer, Hlozek is only young and an ideal candidate for a bit of Moyes' magic. The youngster HAS scored four goals and provided seven assists during the fourteen games he has already played in the Czech Republic, and while the quality might not be up to Premier League standards, there are still plenty of defenders who love nothing more than 'educating' young aspiring forwards!

Hlozek would be West Ham's 50th striker signed during the Gold & Sullivan era, most of which have been utter pants. It's about time a good one arrived who isn't either crocked or saddled with an outrageously negative aura. - LN

David Moyes is known to be meticulous when planning the acquisition of a new player, he is also very, very good at keeping his cards close to his chest when questioned about possible arrivals, usually defaulting to the missive "I don't discuss players who are currently contracted to clubs elsewhere, it would be disrespectful and unethical".

With public respect and ethics dealt with, Moyes is free to carry on with his plans. The long term injury to Angello Ogbonna is a curve ball that was not expected, but must have been anticipated given the player's age and recent injury record, it should be remembered that the Og was only just fit for the beginning of the season as a result of having sustained, yes you guessed it, a knee injury!

James Tarkowski is the media's choice as a replacement during the January transfer window as he is in the final year of his contract and would be available for a relatively low price compared to the crazy figure of around £50 Million quoted when Hammers were interested in the defender a year ago. However we have heard through our very well placed contact at Chelsea that West Ham have expressed more than a little interest in getting Kurt Zouma's old defensive partner Antonio Rudiger to come and join him in East London.

Rudiger's original five year deal expires at the end of the season and contract negotiations have reached an impasse over an extension, apparently the German International has been offered a deal of £150,000 per week which is a 50% increase on his previous wage of five years ago when he first joined Chelsea in a £29 Million deal from Roma. From what we have heard Rudiger wants his wags DOUBLED to £200,000 per week, far too rich for West Ham you would think, but therein lies the rub.

Football transfers are notoriously deceptive in their detail, with many clauses and sub clauses being added at will, but the maths can also be very confusing, we will attempt to elucidate. Kurt Zouma is only 18 months younger than Antonio Rudiger, but Hammers paid around £30 Million for him and gave him a wage of approximately £130,000 per week, sounds a lot doesn't it? But that is the going rate for a top player playing for a top team, IF Hammers are to pursue their aspirations to the fullest, then players with the calibre of Zouma are required.

Rudiger will be available on a free transfer in June, or Chelsea might seek to get some form of transfer fee in rather than wait until his contract has run down entirely enabling him to leave for free. If hypothetically he accepted £160,000 per week, his wages would be £8 Million per year. If he signed a three year deal ther club would be obligated to fork out around £24 Million in wages, he could then be sold on BEFORE entering the final year of his contract enabling the club to recoup anything between £10-20 Million in the process.

Compare those figures with the acquisition of Kurt Zouma, the club paid £30 Million and pay £130,000 per week in wages, over three years that is an expenditure of £20,300,000 in wages which combined with the purchase price is an expenditure of over £50 Million, small change compare with the overall cost of bringing in Rudiger.

Some might say "why are we buying 'Chelsea rejects'?" The answer being that they are very good players, Hammers are NOT yet ready to dine at football's top table quite yet, but acquiring top players who are NOT past it is a good start! Again there are those who would criticise a potential move, but there are those who can see the benefit of Zouma operating in tandem with Rudiger, as they have done so successfully in the past for the current Premier League leaders.

Of course a host of Europe's top clubs are interested in Rudiger, but the prospect of linking up with his old mucker for the 'new project' in East london, while still being able to live in the capital is a quite an incentive. It should also be remembered that apart from PSG and Real Madrid most clubs don't have a pot to do the proverbial in, as such Hammers might be in the driving seat.

Long term planning results in long term benefit, the club's old scatter gun approach has gone, hopefully never to return. -ED