Forum | Non-Football Related

Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten have been working wonders as they set about recruiting virtually an entirely new team, one area in particular that was in urgent need of an overhaul was Hammers creaking defence that 4th worst in the League.

The other area in need of improvement was the forward line with only an ageing but still useful Mikey Antonio and an incredibly overpaid Danny Ings who managed just FOUR Prem goals since he arrived from Villa in what must have been the deal of the century for the Villa directors of football!

News that Kurt Zouma will undergo a medical this week as a new Shabab Al-Ahli player cannot be more eagerly anticipated, his massive wages along with those of Danny Ings are truly eye watering.

The club is haemorrhaging £1/4 Million per week for the pair of them, that is an astonishing £13 Million per year! To put that figure in perspective it represents the income from 32,500 low band season ticket sales!

Initially, at the end of last season it was hoped that BOTH players could be shipped out, however due to their ludicrous wages each player has refused to take a pay cut as they intend winding down the last year of their respective contracts.

Ings was offered a transfer to his old club Southampton but refused to accept anything less than his collosal wage and Zouma made it very clear that he too wouldn't take a pay cut, both appeared to want to add to their bank accounts rather than playing football!

The combined salary of Ings and Zouma would pay for up to an astonishing FIVE players wages of many signed in the new J Lo and Super Tim era. With Zouma on his way it is to be hoped Ings might follow, the club is unlikely to receive ANY money at all from their exits and indeed the club might end up having to pay them off to get them off the wage bill.

It is to be hoped lessons have been learned and that the club is no longer seen as a retirement home for the sick and the lazy in the future! - Ed

Shell shocked Hammers fans are reeling in disbelief as their club are finally mixing it with the big boys and getting their man, not once, twice or even three times!

In an incredibly pleasant change of direction the club DIDN'T reveal its real transfer kitty and stealthily proceeded to go about its business in a thoroughly professional and effective manner!

Virtually ALL the boxes that needed ticking have been and a few more besides, these are indeed exciting times to be a Hammer. No smoke and mirrors, just clever manipulation with a few left field manoeuvers that sees the club well set for the oncoming season.

When was the last time that the team could approach the beginning of the season with a cohesive and workable squad already in place? We can't remember and would suggest very few others can!

For once it is a matter of discussing those deals that haven't yet gone through in addition to those that have, one after one 'Diver' Steidten and J Lo are delivering on the promise to rebuild the ageing and imbalanced squad previously assembled by Davids Moyes and Sullivan.

Fair play to the club's chairman and majority individual share holder David Sullivan who finally found it within himself to acquiesce control of transfers having apparently now recovered from being severely burned by Manuel Pellegrini.

New signings Guilherme, Killman and Summerville are shortly to be joined by Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez and to cap it all negotiations with Manchester United for Aaron Wan-Bissaka are reaching a positive outcome!

Blimey O'Reilly things are starting to look up, of course it will take a while to integrate all the new players, but what a nice problem to have? All these new arrivals will mean one or two players will have to be shipped out, in an ideal world that would include Danny Ings, Maxwell Cornet and Kurt Zouma, but for now Hammers fans can just rejoice in East London's brave new world! - Ed