Forum | Non-Football Related

As the signing of Colombian hit man Carlos Bacca from AC Milan draws to it's conclusion, there will inevitably be movement out of West Ham United for one or both of Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, with West Bromwich Albion and Lazio being the interested parties. Sakho, with his physical prowess (when not injured) is ideally suited to join up with Tony Pulis at the Hawthorns whereas Valencia, despite his obvious talent, has proved to be too light weight for the frantic hustle and bustle that is the Barclay's Premier League, his abilities being best suited to the less frenzied approach of Serie A football. The Hammers hierarchy have made it clear that they want to recoup as much of the £12 Million they paid for Valencia as possible and are unwilling to listen to loan offers, we also believe that there is a 10% sell on fee due to Mexican club Pachuca who he was signed from.
The situation with Diafra Sakho is entirely different to that of Valencia's, having endured a miserable season both emotionally and physically it was hoped that he would return for the new season full of vim and vigour, however the 'spat' which occurred towards the end of last season which saw Sakho and Song clash, resulting in Song being 'bounced out' of the club, doesn't seem to have been fully resolved. Having just returned from a lengthy lay off it was assumed that Sakho would make a major contribution towards the end of season Boleyn run in, instead there were just tantrums and demands, West Ham co-owner and majority share holder David Sullivan was the man responsible for bringing Sakho to the club and will be unwilling to see him depart, but if a decent fee of around £15 Million can be agreed then he won't feel too bad about £11.5 Million profit made on the deal!
Of course in an ideal world one or both players would be retained, but it is not an ideal world and footballers are currently able to make ludicrous demands which is all very well if they are delivering the goods, however each player has not and therefore their impending departure, whilst not totally desirable is understandable. - Ed

You know how the saying goes for those who can still afford to use public transport, "just like waiting for a bus, you wait an age for nothing and then suddenly three turn up one after another'. There are certain similarities between that expression and being a Hammers fan eagerly awaiting news of transfer arrivals, it's all quiet and then suddenly bang! Having secured the services of Gorkan Tore after a long and protracted deal, West Ham United have moved quickly in the transfer market to line up moves for want away 31 year old Besiktas striker Jose Sosa and Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen, the latter being a suggested season's loan due to his poor injury record over the last couple of seasons since his transfer from perrenial London sellers Arsenal
The powers that be at West Ham are obviously trying to replicate last season's extremely successful transfer activity, the bulk of which was taken care of early on last summer, and in addition to those already recruited fans can look forward to at least one major striker to join 'Super Slav's' programme. It is already notable that Billic is going to more often than not play a convoluted 3-2-4-1-1 system utilising the power and pace of Aaron Cresswell and Mikael Antonio as wing backs with Tore and Fengouli operating as wingers from either side to provide the ammunition for a 'big 'un/ little 'un strike combination up front, of course that is not to suggest that canny Slaven won't mix it up on occasions, but that seems to be the way he wants to go forward. It might be risky, so hold on to your hats, but it definitely won't be boring…The Olympic Stadium awaits! - Ed