Forum | Non-Football Related

Liverpool's 26 year old Belgian striker Divock Origi may not have been on many people's radar as a possible front man for West Ham, two years ago he was valued around £18 Million but is now available for £10.5 Million, that is not so much a reflection of the player's quality, more that of the current 'depressed' market as a result of the Covid Pandemic.

All clubs big and small, with the exception of state sponsored Manchester City and PSG, are suffering greatly from the loss of revenue and will continue to do so until they have made good the loans they have universally taken out just to keep afloat. So creative recruitment has had to be the order of the day for most clubs, particularly perennially under funded West Ham, a state that has always existed, with the exception of the Pellegrini era which is still being paid for.

Divock Origi has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield and due to Liverpool's profusion of strikers available, has found game time particularly in short supply, which is pretty down heartening for a young player who should be making progress instead of retrogressing. In the past transfers between the clubs have generally been one way traffic, with Liverpool getting the fresh talent and West Ham getting yesterday's.

Liverpool's finances are much healthier than West Ham's, but their need to sell is also based on the new home grown talent regulations that have just come into force recently. Origi has had little chance to shine for Liverpool
since his amazing Champions League exploits and a move to the London Bowl, under the tutelage and guidance of David Moyes and his staff might really kick start Origi's career.

This is a move that could suit all parties, and while Divock Origi might not be a marquee signing, he does have Barclays Premier League experience and he is young, fit and eager to prove himself, in those respects he ticks all of David Moyes's boxes. Strikers are hard to find, especially ones who can hit the ground running, and although Michail Antonio is obviously the No1, Divock Origi will know all about Mikey Antonio's Hamstrings and the amount of game time he will be afforded due to Antonio's injuries.

Divock Origi's current £60,000 per week wages are affordable, so if he could be offered an incentivised contract he might be London bound as Klopp has already resigned himself to losing Dorigi to "be fair to the lad". Get it done Moysie! - Ed

PS: And of course 'Salty Will' is his agent!

Hammers fans are all too aware of how much money Eintrecht Frankfurt relieved the club of for the signing of 'le sulk' Sebastien Haller, however at the same time as relieving West Ham of £45 Million for one of their 'star' strikers, they also fleeced Real Madrid of even more, £50 Million for their other one, Luka Jovic!

Haller and Jovic were devastating when working in tandem up front or Frankfurt, but once apart they became virtually useless, with neither of them living up to their reputations. The 'conjoined' nature of their strike partnership was one that could not be separated, with the sum being much greater than the two individuals.

So, Eintrecht raised, or stole depending on your point of view, a staggering £95 Million for both players, there current combined market value is less than half of that now at £42.3 Million with Jovic valued at £18 Million according to transfer market and Haller at an optimistic £24.3 Million also according to transfer market, some might say it was the sale of the century!

Having had their fingers truly 'napalmed' by 'Hallergate', the club's board and manager David Moyes will be incredibly wary of being 'stitched up' again, but as all Hammers fans know, David Sullivan loves a 'bargain' and if he applies narcissistic numerics to the situation, he may well think that if he can snap Jovic up on the cheap ie: around £15 Million AND he can get his manager to work his managerial magic to transform the player then it would go in some way to equalize the losses sustained by 'Hallergate'.

Hammers have been loosely linked with Jovic over the last two summer transfer windows, but have never really tried to get a deal over the line before, however as 'Everton Snake' Carlo Ancelotti has apparently decided that Jovic has no future at the Bernabeu. Real even loaned Jovic back to Frankfurt before Ancelotti's arrival in an attempt to rekindle his top form, but he didn't fare well there either.

Signing Jovic would be a significant risk, as there are those close to the board (female writes for an appalling red top) who are saying "once bitten, twice shy", whereas there are others who are saying "who dares wins!" It is Real Madrdi that have taken the hit on Jovic, so it might be a smart move to capatalise on their misfortune just as Ajax have don with West Ham's.

Once described as World Class, Jovic looks a shadow of his former self, but ironically he might be an ideal fit for West Ham and vice versa, a good player needing a platform for his redemption? Sounds familiar doesn't it? However this time, should a loan deal be negotiated, Hammers will ensure there is a buy back option, 'once bitten twice shy'?

With the club's 1st game of the Barclays Premier League in 5 days time and the transfer window closing in less than 3 weeks there is an obvious 'need for speed' when it comes to player acquisitions, a transfer window that was so ludicrously thought out that it means clubs having to either fend off suitors, or keep negotiating for targets well into the season, well done whoever sanctioned that ruling!

If a loan deal to bring Jovic to the London Dome could be negotiated, it would be a no brainer, because poor old Mikey Antonio's Hammies have already booked their mid season holiday and won't be rescheduled! Real would also have to stump up a large percentage of the players eye watering £163,000 per week, which equates to £8,476,000 per year.

No wonder clubs in Europe are in financial free fall when they hand out crazy wages like that, perhaps they were just trying to emulate Manuel Pellegrini's excesses while he was at West Ham, after all £100,000 per week for Jack Wheelchair?

If Jovic can be brought in on a season's loan it could be a good 'shortgap' until finances stabilise and the club can make some real investment, instead of the financial firefighting that many clubs are having to do, the next 2-3 weeks will be absolutely crucial to the club's ambitions, not just for this season but for many seasons to come. - Ed

Talk about synchronicity, just like London buses or police men, you wait ages for one and then three turn up at the same time! Hammers need for an out and out striker has been dragging on so long that it seems to have become like an East Enders's story line, except this one doesn't seem to end!

So a club in desperate need of a striker then lines up not one, but THREE centre backs with an additional TWO waiting in the wings, it does seem strange doesn't it? Duje Ćaleta-Car, Nikola Milenković and Kurt Zouma are the main targets, but Mouctar Diakhaby and Nat Phillips are in the background 'just in case'.

We have previously discussed the club's poor defensive record from last season, with far too many goals conceded there was an obvious need for reinforcements, but so many centre backs is a bit rich, even for an ex defender like David Moyes.

It could be that this is part of the David Moyes version of 'smoke and mirrors', an act that used to be carried out perennially by the board in order to sell season tickets. The approaching season is unique in that there was absolutely no need to tell Porkies because fans, deprived of their 'footy fix' for 18 months, were only too happy to stump up for their season tickets, in addition the team has just finished in it's highest position for nearly 30 years!

Perhaps Moyes's smoke and mirrors campaign should only be seen as a positive stance, as there is no need to bamboozle fans with fake news regarding transfers. Moyes is known in some circles as 'divering dave' due to the amount of due diligence he spends on researching potential signings, he hasn't done too badly so far has he? With exception of Jordan Hugill of course.

It is to be hoped that all the attention being given to the centre back glut will mask the club's true primary objective, and that is to get a STRIKER! The chances are if David Moyes has really been given full control of player acquisitions, that he is working behind the scenes to bring in the man or men of his choice and that the centre back smoke screen is a useful diversion.

While we remain sceptical regarding the funding made available to David Moyes for transfers, we are hopeful that there might be a repeat of the John Hartson and Paul Kitson signings, of course they arrived to help stave off relegation, whereas new recruits are needed to help the club progress in four major competitions.

We fully expect a striker to arrive and emerge through the smoke and mirrors, hopeful? Hopefulness is a primary requisite of being a Hammers fan.....it's the West Ham way! - Ed