Tag: #transferwindow

West Ham Monday Briefing: No Blue Moon Shine for Lopetegui plus Nostradamus on the January Transfer Window

It was déjà vu all over again as a bright start by West Ham at the Etihad Stadium descended into shipping goals for fun and heavy defeat. Where do the Hammers go from here?

Something is seriously awry when the expected nervous anxiety of pre-match tension can be completely replaced by an overwhelming fear of impending embarrassment. Thus is the lot of a West Ham supporter as we enter 2025. The academy of failure and disappointment!

Julen Lopetegui made four changes to the starting eleven to face Manchester City on Saturday. Jean-Clair Todibo and Vladimir Coufal were the latest revisions to an ever changing defensive line, Tomas Soucek returned from suspension in place of Carlos Soler, and Niclas Fullkrug replaced the injured Jarrod Bowen.

The official West Ham website was coy on the exclusion of Emerson stating only that he was absent from the squad. He may well have picked up an injury, but the dearth of information served only to fuel speculation that he was packing his bags ready for a return to Italy to enjoy his football and pasta like his great-grandmother used to make. Instead of a natural left-sided replacement (Aaron Cresswell or Ollie Scarles) the coach opted to shuffle Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the other side of the pitch. While AWB can operate with some competence as an emergency stand-in left back, it is an unnatural and less effective position for him to be selected for. Still, we are mere fans and not highly paid, experienced coaches.

Having seen several Manchester City games in recent weeks, it was apparent that their greatest attacking threat currently came down the left through Savinho – a huge upgrade for City over Grealish or Doku. It was, therefore, a brave decision to award the job of marking him to the fast-fading Coufal. Bravery here crossing the line into foolishness.

Soucek was the latest unsuitable candidate to be given the honour of wearing the captain’s armband. Tom is another who is too quiet to act as an on-field leader. And with a mere 39 touches and a woeful team-worst pass completion rate of 56% he wasn’t exactly leading by example either. Even in the pre-match huddle he delegated the call to arms to Edson Alvarez. I think many of us had believed Max Kilman had been signed by Lopetegui for his skipper/ leadership qualities but apparently this is not the case – and not the reason for the inflated transfer fee paid.

A common comment from fans is that (even after 20 games) Lopetegui doesn’t know his best team. For me, it goes far deeper than that in that he has been unable to settle upon a setup where formation/ style/ identity matches the players at his disposal to execute it. To the outside observer the idea of playing to your strengths – creating a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts – is the fundamental requirement of any elite level coach. Otherwise, all that remains is a dream. Something that is great in theory but horrible in practice – like making love in a Triumph Herald.

In truth, West Ham had some fine first half moments against the least intimidating City side we have seen for many a year. Several presentable goalscoring opportunities were spurned before eventually falling behind to an unfortunate own goal. And the chance of a breakaway equaliser was denied when Lancashire born referee, Michael Salisbury, erroneously whistled for a foul by Crysencio Summerville in an obvioulsy fair tussle with Akanji. But today’s Hammers are perennially vulnerable, and the inevitable Haaland goals either side of the break settled the game in the host’s favour.

The injury to Bowen is a massive blow to the Hammers. It’s not clear how long it takes to recover from a fractured foot – anywhere between a few hours (Stuart Pearce) and three years (Andy Carrol) based on prior injury experience. If he is missing for the best part of two months, my expected 14th place finishing position must be revised downwards to 15th. Both Manchester United and Crystal Palace are sure to overtake us.  

Judging by the various comments trawled through online, I am in a rapidly reducing minority who believe the club have a decent set of players but are hamstrung by a coach who either has no plan, or is unable to communicate it to the team. If the internet is to be believed, only Bowen is routinely excused from criticism while the rest of the squad goes something like this:

Areola (showy, weak), Coufal (past it), Kilman (slow, overpriced), Todibo (sulky, injury-prone), Mavropanos (accident waiting to happen), Wan-Bissaka (thinks he’s a winger), Alvarez (erratic, blundering), Soucek (cumbersome, slow), Rodriguez (even slower), Soler (Guy Fawkes lookalike), Paqueta (fraud), Kudus (greedy), Fullkrug (donkey/ cart horse), Summerville (light-weight).

If they really are as bad as that, we may as well pack up and go home. It’s not that many of the current crop would make it into any dream team – and significant gaps do exist in the squad – but I see the failure as systemic rather than down to individuals. The woeful defensive record in particular being a function of the huge gaps and space built into the system by design, rather than the fault of whatever group of players make up the back four in any particular week. It’s almost guaranteed to make chumps of anyone unfortunate enough to play in it.

In a game of opinions, we each like to apportion blame in different orders of magnitude – Sullivan, Lopetegui, Steidten, or the players have all been targeted. But Sullivan is going nowhere voluntarily, Steidten’s role should be a longer-term play (if he is allowed to do it), and it will take an age (and is unaffordable) to replace all the players. That is the why it is the coach who must go if a change of fortune is to be enjoyed. His appointment was a mistake and those who made it must be big enough to admit it.

Several media sources have claimed exclusives on the real reason why West Ham might not sack Lopetegui any time soon. And that is the arcane world of modern football finances. Although presented as a huge reveal it is something we have mentioned here on a number of occasions previously. It will cost money to pay up the contracts of Lopetegui and his entourage – and that money must come from the same PSR pot available for potential transfer dealings. Buying a replacement out of his contract would have even more impact. It is a reality that cannot be put down solely to parsimony on the Board’s part. And explains why the owners might be prepared to limp along to the summer when player sales (Paqueta and Kudus) can reset the size of the pot to PSR in.

January Transfer Window Now Open

Rather than rely on the insider transfer gossip spewing daily from the Give Me The West Ham News Zone websites, I decided to consult the ancient musings of French astrologer, Nostradamus, for any breaking news stories. The probability of accuracy is equally reliable .

As we all know, Nostradamus was a celebrated 16th century pundit – a medieval Mark Lawrenson, if you like – who favoured a more traditional IV – IV -II formation and opted to publish his quillbait in the form of quatrains, or poetic verse. Critics claim his writings are cryptic, ambiguous, or incomprehensible. Not so very different from today’s media and this column in that sense – or Lopetegui’s tactics, come to that.

Of 942 assorted predictions made by Nostradamus, we have unearthed three that mention iron or irons:

“When in a Fish, Iron and a Letter shall be shut up,
He shall go out, that afterwards shall make War,“
Some scholars believe the fish references a potential swoop for Brighton defender Tariq LAMPREY. Others though suggest it may be a reference to famous former Hammers such as Geoff PIKE, RAY Stewart, Frank MACKERELvennie, Harry REDSNAPPER, Gary BREAM, Neil RUDDock (that’s more than enough fish puns – Ed)

“Into an Iron Cage he shall cause the great one to be draw
When the Child of German shall observe nothing.”
The great one is an expected approach to Jose Mourinho for the coming managerial vacancy while the child of a German observing nothing indicates the difficulty Tim Steidten would have working with him.

“The mad anger of the furious fight,
Shall cause by Brothers the Iron to glister at the Table,“
Fabrizio Romano and I are continuing to work on interpreting this one. Once a signing has been made, we will let you know what it meant.

Windows, Breaks, Free Agents, Formations and Squad Lists As West Ham Return To Premier League Action

With the Premier League squad list deadline looming this weekend will there be even more new arrivals at the London Stadium and where are they all going to play?

I have always loved those American blues songs where the singer wakes up one morning to discover his wife has done left him, the dog has died, his truck won’t start, and the house has been repossessed. It is exactly the same sort od sentiments I get whenever we have to put up with yet another international break. It’s now one down and three more to go for the remainder of the season. The next popping up to spoil our enjoyment in just four weeks’ time.

Putting the new season on hold with only three games played is particularly frustrating. Especially in Europe where I have yet to be convinced about the wisdom of creating the Nations League – the Europa Conference League of international competition. But I suppose the authorities needed to find something marketable to promote while the South Americans commence their World Cup qualification campaign, and the Cup of Nations qualifiers proceed in Africa. Sometimes you can’t help feeling there is too much football being played for players and supporters alike.

West Ham went into the first break with 100% records both home and away. Unfortunately, at home that had meant consecutive defeats as Manchester City extended their dominant streak against the Hammers to 16 wins in the last 19 league encounters. Erling Haaland has now scored seven times in five appearances against West Ham. His latest hattrick even lacking the customary penalty.

While City looked in control for most part of the London Stadium contest it was a spirited performance from the home side. A West Ham team intent on making a game of it rather than sitting back and spending 90 minutes without the ball was a palpable relief after the experoences of recent years. There were certainly positive signs that a more entertaining and enterprising brand of football is in the works, even if it is one that is developing at an evolutionary rather than revolutionary pace. If there is one team who are guaranteed to seize on and punish the merest of wayward passes, then it is Pep Guardiola’s side. Although the Hammers came close to drawing level at 2-2 the suspicion was always there that the visitors could up a gear whenever they chose to. Only severe FA sanctions are likely to prevent a fifth straight Premier League title for the Sky Blues.  

Although the main transfer window ‘slammed shut’ several weeks ago it is still possible to squeeze a free agent or two through the sky light in advance of the League’s squad list deadline on Friday. If the rumours are true, this loophole may see further arrivals turning up at the London Stadium to prop up the positions remaining short of cover despite the summer spending spree.

A recent trend with transfer windows has been either to rate them out of ten or to put forward an opinion as to whatever club ‘won’ it. There are, of course, no prizes for winning the window and its success or otherwise will only become clear over time. On paper the summer business at West Ham looks decent as Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui set about reshaping and revamping the small and unbalanced squad left behind by the previous manager. I am in danger of repeating myself, but it still baffles me that pundits and commentators – who are presumably paid handsomely for their laughably superficial opinions – believed that the Scottish manager had left the club in good shape. If it had been in good shape, it wouldn’t have needed the transfer kitty to be spread across ten or more new signings.

The biggest disappointment of the window was the failure to command much in the way of fees for the players seen as surplus to requirements. While the loan departures of Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, James Ward-Prowse and Maxwell Cornet may have helped trim the weekly wage bill, little residual value will remain once a further year has passed on their contracts. Trading players is now a significant factor in determining the revenues on which future recruitment must be based.

Once the dust has fully settled, the greatest concern with the squad is with strikers. Lopetegui’s perseverance so far with Michail Antonio has been a huge surprise. Even at his peak of pace and power, Antonio would never have been first choice for a team following a possession-based philosophy. The alternatives of Niclas Fullkrug (allegedly now out injured) and Danny Ings require a very different level of service from the supporting players. If either is to make a noticeable contribution, they need the wider players (whether it is Jarrod Bown, Mohammed Kudus, or ‘Jimmy’ Summerville) to be deployed narrower rather than stranded out wide. This, in turn, requires the full backs (Aaron Wan-Bissake and Emerson) to offer the width in the attacking half.

An alternate plan would be to replace the idea of an outright striker with a flexible front three of Summerville, Bowen, and Kudus. The advantage would be better use of resouces, rescuing Kudus from a position marooned wide on the left but may result in a loss of focus for attacks. Done well it could be difficult to defend against but would be another transitional challenge for the coaching staff.

The midfield permutations have become ever more complex following the late addition of (Carlos) Soler energy to the equation. It leaves Soler, Lucas Paqueta, Edson Alvarez, Guido Rodriguez, Tomas Soucek, and Andy Irvine fighting for three or four starting berths – according on which nominal formation Lopetegui elects to play in any given game or against any given opposition. Perhaps there will be an indication of his thinking when the team is announced for Saturday’s game at Fulham. It is difficult to imagine too much playing time for Soucek and can Paqueta and Soler be accommodated in the same eleven?

It can’t be long before Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo become the preferred centre-back partnership. With only Dinos Mavropanos as cover this is the position where additional free-agent backup is believed to be wanted before the weekend’s squad deadline. The current names in the frame being Joel Matip and Joe Egan.

All in all, the squad that has been assembled should be capable of competing towards the top end of the table. It would be disappointing not to be in the mix for a European place during the final weeks of the season. For it to happen, though, requires the pace of change to quicken and for an effective way to be found to integrate the undoubted attacking talent that the club now has. I remain confident for an exciting and interesting season ahead – at least until the next internation break. COYI!  

West Ham Monday Briefing: “Florida Threes”, “Disconnecting Flights” and the “Shape of Things To Come”

As the countdown to the season opener continues, West Ham transfer frenzy steps up to new levels while friendly displays fail to impress

As the unofficial curator of the West Ham transfer links list, it is my duty to wade through the daily slurry of stories on the news feeds to keep up to date with the latest rumours. For the record, the list of targets has now risen to an impressive 140, of which just four have turned into confirmed deals.

The latest trend for any aspiring rumour site wishing to stand out from the crowd of recycled news is to include an apparent quote at the beginning of your headline. Not an honest “We haven’t got a clue what’s going on, mate” or ‘Your guess is as good as mine” but a more teasing “Have been told” or “Deal on the cards” tag – the written equivalent of tapping ones nose to suggests a level of reliable insider knowledge.

One of the more intriguing snippets of in-he-know-ness this week was hidden among Friday’s news where it was claimed Inter Milan were ‘plotting a Saturday phone call’ with a view to hijack West Ham’s bid for Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Surely that’s the sort of information that only comes to light through undercover surveillance.

There is a tipping point in transfer pursuits when you start to get the feeling that this deal is just not going to happen. The Wan-Bissaka story is getting very close to that. Chances of a signing are following the same trajectory previoulsy seen with Jhon Duran. Time to look elsewhere, I think, for an upgrade to the rapidly diminishing powers of Vladimir Coufal.

There has of course been a signficant further signing in the last seven days with the recruitment of Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United. It represents an exciting addition to the squad and has led to plenty of speculation as to how and where the coach will deploy him alongside Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and the promised new striker. It’s a lineup that suggests rapid and direct attacks rather than the composed possession and patient build up that Julen Lopetegui is known for.

Expectations are also high for the imminent signings of striker Niclas Füllkrug from Borussia Dortmund and free agent defensive midfielder Guido Rodríguez, formerly of Real Betis. Should those come to fruition the remaining top priorities will be at right back and centre back where the squad is highly exposed. Strengthening the defensive midfield areas may help stem the tide but last season’s leaky defence continues to have significant gaps to plug throigh an injection of speed, strength, mobility and awareness. Although the desire to find ball-playing defenders is understandable, their core competency must still be the art of defending.

When the Füllkrug story broke last week, it was reported that Tim Steidten was immediately flying from Florida to Germany to agree terms with club and player. While at the same time, Füllkrug was said to be boarding a charted jet taking him from Germany to London. No wonder these deals take such a long time to complete!

The prospect of a sizeable fee being paid for a 31-year-old striker has been met with a degree of negativity online. While someone younger may have been ideal, Füllkrug looks s less risky bet to me than the unproven Duran. The downside, of course, it the absence of a resale value at the end of his contract. But if Füllkrug can reproduce his Dortmund form both with his goals and by acting as a foil for the exciting talent behind him, he could turn out to be an inspired choice.

Should Füllkrug join Summerville at the London Stadium it would be a rare venture by West Ham into signing northern European players. Previous experiences with Dutch (Jeroen Boere, Marco Boogers, Raymond Atteveld) and German (Thilo Kehrer, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Savio Nsereko) players have never managed to reach the heights. Better luck this time, perhaps!

The Hammers ended their Florida pre-season schedule with a second successive 3-1 defeat, this time to Crystal Palace, who are fast becoming something of a bogey side. The value of participating in pre-season tournaments such as these has to be questionable. What is the point and what can be learned from them? The West Ham starting eleven contained just three players certain to be lining up against Aston Villa in just under two weeks’ time.

From what we saw it is hard to disagree with Lopetegui’s assessment that there is a lot of work still to do. That would apply equally if all the first-choice players had been available. Those returning from international duty have yet to feature in any pre-season fixtures, while others likely to start on August 17 have yet to sign for the club. Modern football has become increasingly structured with team shape and individual positions – both in and out of possession – repeatedly drilled into players over time. This is going to take more than a couple of extra weeks to get right. And there are sure to be a collection of howlers and calamities as the players get to grips with the idea of playing out from the back.

We don’t yet know exactly how Lopetegui plans to set up his side. Conventional wisdom has been that he prefers rampaging full-backs to provide width and pump in crosses. But the full-backs he has are not really equipped for that role. Such a tactic would also impact the way that Bowen and Summerville prefer to play. I’m sure the coach has a plan though and it will be intriguing to witness how it plays out.

The season approaches with a mix of excitement and nervousness. I genuinely feel the club is slowly going in the right direction but it may take a dozen games or so of the new campaign to get up to speed.

West Ham Monday Briefing: Gathering Storm Clouds, Rummage Sales and Working Around The Clock

The early enthusiasm generated by the promise of a new coach and recruitment philosophy has lost a little of its shine after encountering reality. Time to get reinforcements through the door quickly.

Find a safe space, relax, breathe deeply and repeat the following mantra until convinced: “they are only friendlies, results don’t matter; the window is still open for another month yet; most of the transfer links to Premier League deadbeats exist only in the figment of a rumour sites imagination.”

Today’s average pre-season friendly is a very different beast to what I remember from my youth. Any top tier club worth its salt feels now feel obliged to play exhibition games against Premier League opposition in the farthest flung locations imaginable – even if it means playing games during hurricane season. In the past it was a case of warming up with a kickabout in the less exotic surroundings of Southend or Gillingham.

And there is no more ‘entrance by matchday programme only’ which you can buy for a couple of bob. Now you you need to buy a package to stream online while staying up all night waiting for a storm to pass in a far-off time zone.

I think we can all agree with Julen Lopetegui’s assessment following the defeat by Wolves that there is ‘work to be done.’ Something that applies to activities both on and off the pitch. I doubt much has been learned that we didn’t already know. Even the casual observer would have been aware that players such as Tomas Soucek and Kurt Zouma have no place in a system based upon maintaining possession. Soucek seems like a smashing fellow but clearly suffers from an unreliable data connection between brain and feet. By the time information is received, someone else has the ball. And Zouma’s injury woes have left him with the mobility of a Thunderbird’s puppet and a turning circle that the average family car would be within a whisker of beating. Sad, but he is no longer up to Premier League standard.

It’s always good to see a few youth team players get a run-out in these games but it is only any use if they are gradually introduced to, and used in, competitive matchday squads. Too often, academy players have looked promising pre-season cameos and then are never seen again. Freddie Potts has impressed and would hope to see him along with George Erathy and Lewis Orford getting Premier League minutes.

Nothing seen so far suggests that Luis Guilherme is anything other than one for the future. A player who needs plenty of time to adapt to life in England before demonstrating his wonderkid status. The ‘wonder’ prefix is wildly overused in modern football reporting whether it is wonderkids or wonder goals. The latter is routinely applied to the most mundane of strikes if they are outside of the box. If Diana Prince had the ability to parallel park or explain the offside rule it would be impressive, but far more would have been needed to merit the title of Wonder Woman.

The off-field priority is for the transfer department to pull its collective finger out without any further delay. Less than three weeks to the season opener and there is little to show from all the talks, advanced talks, and locked in talks that we have been told about. As a fan we don’t have to worry ourselves with the details of transfers budgets, payment schedules, fair play rules, and agent fees but it is difficult not to be disillusioned with the overall lack of progress. And although we have no way of knowing which (if any) of the rumours are true, many of them are truly underwhelming in nature.  

What had promised to be a summer of surgically smart spending – unearthing the world’s best emerging talent – has turned into the equivalent of a man desparately hoping to buy his wife a birthday present after arriving late at a rummage sale. Underneath a box of china poodles, a 1976 Black Beauty annual, and a box set of ‘Confessions Of’ DVDs, all he will find is Tammy Abraham, Armando Broja and assorted debris thrown out by Arsenal and Chelsea. It’s not what I was expecting.

The squad is still short in a host of critical positions – striker, centre back, right back and defensive midfield being the greatest areas of need in my opinion. But how far can the budget stretch with the types of fees and wages being mentioned to plug those gaps? Much media attention has also focused on a left sided attacking midfield but I’m not personally convinced it’s a top priority in a side wanting to incorporate Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, and Lucas Paqueta into its line-up, and with Guilherme as backup. The striker search, as ever, is the transfer hot potato at West Ham. The Jhon Duran situation feels like one of those pursuits that will enter folklore as a long running saga of wasted time and effort. And anyway, with no viable striker alternative at the club it would be a huge risk to put all your trust in an unproven 20-year-old.

The list of targets I have recorded overthe window now extends to 129 names (click to see the entire list). The latest additions have been mostly new defenders after the club failed to agree deals with previous targets. The assumption is that the financial side of transfers is still overseen by David Sullivan and other Board members rather than Tim Steidten. It isthe rock that many deals flounder on.

It would be premature to predict the storm clouds might be gathering at the London Stadium but one can sense a few distant rumbles. The objective of having a new squad assembled in time for pre-season has failed. The ‘work to be done’ is likely to extend well into the opening weeks of the season and a slow start will make hopes of aiming for European qualification all the more difficult. The danger is that the apparent setbacks experienced with bringing players in (and shifting out those who are surplus to requirements) will compromise the strategy for smart recruitment and the mistakes of previous windows will be repeated.

I’m sure those involved are working around the clock to resolve matters – although sometimes it feels like the transfer team don’t work weekends – but positive recruitment news is needed fast if the slowly descending gloom is to be shifted. My hope is that moves are taking place behind the scenes to make just the sort of exciting signings we all crave.  

West Ham Monday Briefing: Window Pains, Ins and Outs, and Arsenal’s Overpriced Rejects

Time marches on and West Ham’s recruitment feels like it has fallen victim to the global tech outage. Time for the system to be rebooted if Lopetegui’s team are to hit the ground running.

The clock continues to tick. Minutes become hours, hours become days and the new Premier League season is less than four weeks away. Julen Lopetegui’s hope of having his new look squad in place and primed for action before the big kick-off is looking increasingly unrealistic. Two weeks have passed since the signing of Max Kilman and he remains the sole new recruit likely to be a regular starter when the season opens.

Last season’s threadbare squad has already seen the departure of a host of players: Thilo Kehrer, Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals, Angelo Ogbonna, Flynn Downes and Ben Johnson. If the grapevine is to be believed, the club are also hoping to shift Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd before the transfer window closes. There’s much work to be done – signing five or six players – and very little time left to do it in. Past performance of getting deals over the line is not encouraging.

No doubt everyone would have wanted to have made more progress by now. The transfer objectives are not simply a case of finding a few remaining pieces to complete a jigsaw, but rather starting work on a whole new puzzle. The longer it takes to make the right signings, the less time there is available to finesse the new tactical approach. A task made more difficult by international absences and the degree of change the new coach is hoping to introduce.

I’m sure the lack of progress is not down to a lack of effort by Tim Steidten and Lopetegui. It is not in their interests to stretch matters out. A slow start to the season – which we might realistically have to accept now – will immediately put the new regime under pressure.    

To date, I have recorded 122 players that West Ham have been linked to. To maintain one’s sanity it is best to accept that most are the pure fabrications of a self-sustaining, clickbait, gossip and rumour network co-ordinated by evil transfer mastermind Fabrizio Romano. However, the names of the eventual signings are probably hidden somewhere within that lengthy list.

Hoping to get your recruitment done early but only paying bargain prices were always going to be incompatible ambitions. This is the most obvious stumbling block for most deals until the final days of the window are reached. It is understandable in the days of FFP and PSR that buying clubs are ever more mindful of managing their budgets, while it makes sense for selling clubs to hold out for a better deal. It is a system that encourages last minute deals.

The Hammers desperate need to recruit ‘match ready’ starters will also limit the ability of Steidten to demonstrate his pearl diving expertise. The German’s true value to the club will only be obvious when he can regularly unearth the talents of future, whether that is from South America or the Dutch or Belgian leagues. Unfortunately this window Steidten has, by necessity, been forced to fish in the waters of already established players for his catch. It is the opposite of what many expected.

West Ham now head off to the USA to play friendlies against Wolves and Crystal Palace before returning to play Celta Vigo, a week before the season starts, in the Betway Cup. Friendlies are far more high profile these days than in the past where they largely passed unnoticed. Often, they are glorified kick-abouts but still get TV coverage and websites offering player ratings. I’ve never noticed any correlation between pre-season results and what happens when the season gets going. Once again we have seen a number of youth players given a run out in the games against Ferencvaros and Dagenham & Redbridge. Usually they disappear for good after pre-seson but hopefully some of the current crop can make a valuable contribution once the season starts for real. George Earthy and Lewis Orford in particular look to be exceptional prospects.

Of all the gaps in the squad in the squad, it is the long running absurdity of West Ham’s efforts to sign a striker that garners most attention. Can they get it right this time around? Not if the answer is believed to be Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Callum Wilson or Eddie Nketiah they won’t. One of the most comical transfer stories of the window so far has been the suggestion that Nketiah is available for £50 million.  There is a fashion of linking failed bit-part Arsenal players to the London Stadium. Another trending in recent weeks has been Reiss Nelson, a player whose only claim to fame is scoring an added time winner against Bournemouth. Even on an Arsenal blog, the author doubted the move would be sensible or prove good value for the Hammers. Avoid!

My personal preference continues to be Ivan Toney who appears not to have the long line of suitors anticipated. He is the type of all-round striker who can both score goals as well as getting involved in build-up play. I could see him working well with Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus. Ideally, the club should have been signing a player like Toney while he was at Peterborough. Just as Brentford have signed Toney’s replacement, Igor Thiago, from the Belgian League side Club Brugge.  Maybe Jhon Duran from Aston Villa can develop into a superstar striker but  with no other realistic striker option in the squad – I am discounting any further involvement from Michail Antonio – it would represent a single point of failure and a huge risk.

If there is one decision to get right, it is finding the right striker.

West Ham Monday Briefing: Friendly Fire, Striker Search and South Americans

The summer internationals come to and end just as West Ham prepare for their very first friendly under the leadership of Julen Lopetegui. Meanwhile the Hammer’s search for a striker continues.

Ferencvaros Friendly Fire

The culmination of a marathon day of football saw the conclusion of both the Euro 2024 and Copa America 2024 finals. Spanish flair saw them run out deserved winners against a plucky but passive England, while Argentina’s greater depth earned extra time victory over an unlucky but exhausted Colombia. Now we are able to fully focus once again on the deluge of transfer chatter for the upcoming domestic football season.

It’s now less than five weeks to the big kick-off as clubs await the return of their international stars and jostle for position to bring new players in through the doors, and farm the old ones out. In what had been promoted as a busy transfer window at West Ham has yet to get out of second gear despite the huge overhaul needed to rebuild the squad. Now they prepare for tonight’s opening friendly against Ferencvaros in Austria.

The Hungarian champions are one of teams I recall from my youth competing in the European Cup. A time when it was a proper knock-out competition rather than the money-making circus it has become today. Along with the likes of Dukla Prague and Red Star Belgrade they featured regularly in repeated Subbuteo simulations.

Early season friendlies such as this are little more than a chance to stretch the legs, and will feature only a handful of next season’s first team squad. Potentially there will be a first glimpse of Max Kilman and Luis Guilherme in a Hammer’s shirt, plus an opportunity for several youth players to showcase their abilities. It may also provide clues on the future of Flynn Downes and whether he has a future at the club following his shameful shunning by the Scottish manager. In the scheme of things, Julen Lopetegui will be learning more about the character of the players on the training ground than in matches like these. Kick-off is at 3 pm BST.    

Transfer Chatter Update

It’s been another quiet week on the transfer rumour front with only six new names added to the West Ham target list. The list now totals 117 players and with rumour resources becoming stretched, speculation has resorted to stories that West Ham are rekindling interest in those named earlier in the window. There are many of them to go around. The major rekindling of the week has been Steven Bergwijn who is a big “No” from me, simply because of his past life in N17.

The noisiest rumours in the past seven days have surrounded Juventus centre back Federico Gatti – reported to be the target of a host of clubs – and the ongoing two-horse right back race between Kyle Walker-Peters and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. If that is the extent of our choice, then I would take Wan-Bissaka every time for his far superior defensive attributes.

There was also a first sighting in this window of a player issuing a “come and get me” plea to the Hammers. In this case it is Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice who has a hankering for London’s east-end. The defining factor for who ends up as Kilman’s central defensive partner(s) will, no doubt, be determined by the ultimate size of the budget. After all, we have yet to see any movement for that most expensive and elusive of characters, the striker.

Ullo Jhon! Gotta A New Striker

The persistent striker link of the last few weeks has been Jhon Duran from Aston Villa. The Colombian is supposedly something of a hothead who is unhappy with living in the shadow of Harry Kane’s England deputy, Ollie Watkins.

Still only 20 years old, Duran is an exciting prospect but with limited top level experience. He was in the Colombian squad at Copa America but spent the entire tournament on the bench. It feels like a big risk to put all your trust in an untested striker although, thankfully, the people responsible for making decisions know far more than me. The same applies to David Datro Fofana from Chelsea who looked very sharp when playing on-loan for Burnley against the Hammers last March. Presumably he would be happier to play as second fiddle to a more experienced striker than Duran would. It seems everyone should have a Fofana in their squad these days – like it was trendy to have a Dembele a few years back, and a Cisse before that.

The Ivan Toney situation is one to keep an eye on as the number of potential suitors steadily fades away. In the last year of his contract, Brentford will be keen to cash in – especially as they signed Igor Thiago from Club Brugge as a replacement in January – but will be aware that only a small number of clubs will be able to come close to their valuation. With West Ham preferring initial low-ball offers, any deal has to be many weeks away. He would still be my first choice though.

The search for a striker promises to have and extended run up until the close of the window. Some of the names mentioned are exciting, others fill me with dread – nailed on inductees into the West Ham striker hall of shame. Please let it not be Kelechi Iheanacho.

Paqueta And Other South Americans

The future of Lucas Paqueta remains up in the air. And will stay there until uncertainty is lifted on the charges made against him by the English Football Association. This may yet take many months. I struggle to see any benefit for West Ham in sending him out on loan or selling him at a knock-down price to one of the clubs in his native homeland. The only logical conclusion is that he will be a part of Lopetegui’s squad for as long as it takes for the investigation to conclude.

The boys from Brazil were hugely disappointing in the Copa America. Surprising when there is so much focus on their young talent that their performances were so workmanlike. Paqueta was one of many in the Brazil side who struggled to impress as they increasingly resorted to long balls during their quarter final elimination by Uruguay. He looked a far cry from the player that Manchesetr City were allegedly prepared to pay £85 million for.

Elsewhere, in the tournament several of the Colombian players caught the eye. The other Jhon linked with a move to West Ham, Jhon Arias, was a regular starter throughout the competition. Not as reported a winger, but part of a midfield three. His game was more about working hard than flair and did not impress as a potential Premier League player.

The Colombian who did stand out for me was Richard Rios who currently plays in Brazil for Palmeiras. He is a central midfielder who looks good in transition, loves a dribble and possesses a goal threat.

Our old friend Enner Valencia (now 34 years old) was captaining Ecuador who were elimintaed on penalties to Argentina in the semi-final. Sent of in the first group game, he missed a penalty in normal time against Argentina in a game that Ecuador were very unfortunate to lose.

West Ham Monday Briefing: Value Added Max, Forward Thinking and Right Back Where We Started

Kilman signs as Lopetegui and Steidten present exciting ambitions for making a big noise at the London Stadium. Reasons to celebrate or proceed with caution?

Julen, Julen, Julen, Julen, please don’t sign him just because you can

With six weeks to go to the big kick-off, West Ham have finally signed a player likely to feature as a starter in the curtain raiser against Aston Villa on August 17. The announcement of Max Kilman’s arrival confirming that Jolen Lopetegui had secured his primary defensive target.

A change of leadership is often the catalyst for optimism and last week’s press conference by Lopetegui and Tim Steidten swept a breath of fresh air through the corridors and stairwells of the London Stadium. Listening to the pair speak produced a positive and energetic vibe that must surely permeate throughout the club over the coming months. If only West Ham had the technology which allowed us to hear the questions from the journalists as well as the answers.

Lopetegui’s statement that he intended to approach every game in the belief that his team can winn was especially encouraging. Supporters are well aware that it will not always come off but the approach is music to our ears after many seasons of insecurity and respecting the point. There is a real feeling that the playing side of the club id finally in good hands and with a sound structure. I am confident that having taken on board the wisdom of the pundits, that my wishes are now fully compliant with appropriate health and safety guidelines.

Lopetegui has also spoken about the club’s recruitment philosophy of finding players and improving them with coaching. It makes eminent sense and along with developing players from the youth system is the most sensible strategy for a club like ours in the contemporary world of FFP and PSR. The approach is not necessarily reflected in the names being thrown around in the transfer gossip columns (the latest count has grown to 111 names) which continue to major on big name, high price tag targets. The difficulty is that reinforcements are badly needed and time is slipping away. The pace of signings has to increase as well as remaing shrewd. Let’s not get sidetracked by free agents just because they are available.

Congratulations, You Have Just Met the DCF

With all the new financial rules and regulations associated with football the saloon bar supporter needs to be as expert about amortisation as they do about tactics: “I do like the way Guardiola deploys inverted full backs but not so keen on his prefernce for real option pricing in valuing intangible assets.”  It’s a whole new ball game of smoke and mirrors.

There were a range of opinions on whether the Kilman fee was good value or not. He is clearly a fine player and was a known target for the coach – which must be a bonus. As a supporter, the size of the fee is only really relevant in terms of how much remains to spend to fill the many remaining gaps in the squad. The estimated net spend for this window to date now stands at £36 million. So, what is left in the war chest for signing another five or six players, assuming additional funds will also be available from the sale of Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma? Anywhere between £10 m and £100 m perhaps.

A few eyebrows were also raised about the seven year contract awarded to Kilman. This was not an attempt at the scam used by Chelsea to write off transfer fees players over a lengthy time period – that practice was banned a while back. Player value can only be written down over the length of a contract up to a maximum of five years. More probable is that it is a way around any wage structure in place at West Ham. If we assume Kilman will be paid close to £60k per week – he was allegedly on £50k at Wolves – the deal will cost the club (from an accounting perspective) £11 m for 5 years plus £3 m for an additional two years after that – £61 million in total. There is a faint whiff of string up problems in the future.

Right Back to Basics

If the likelihood of a transfer taking place is proportional to the number of times it is repeated, then the next signing will be Kyle Walker-Peters from Southampton. Much of the rationale is that Flynn Downes may be going in the other direction in what is commonly touted as a swap deal.

Last week the full back pursuit was being presented as a choice between Walker-Peters and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. It seemed odd that if a set of defined performance criteria were being analysed by a data expert that it would come up with those two options – unless the criteria were: must have a double-barrelled name and be able to also play on the left in an emergency. Wan-Bissaka is one of the stronger defensive full backs in the league but does not offer much going forward. While Walker-Peters is mediocre as defender but very competent when in possession. I suppose it depends what system is being played and what the main attributes of the full back need to be. Personally, I worry about how effective small full backs like Walker-Peters can be in the modern game where the trend (i.e. what Pep is doing) is towards a backline of six footers. Hoping for better options!  

What do we want? A striker! When do we want one? Now!

The most eagerly awaited news of the summer will be the signing of a new striker. In all probability, two are badly needed. One with a reliable and proven track record, the ther with potential as one for the future. The striker conundrum has particular significance at West Ham due to the many past failures who have been unable to make their mark. It has been our lot for most of the Premier League era.

At least 20 strikers have now been linked with a move to the Hammers since the transfer gossip window sprang open at the start of June. Some rumours are lazy journalism (Romelu Lukaku), some hang around for a while before disappearing (Jonathan David) and others you just pray are someone’s idea of a joke (Tammy Abraham, Kelechi Iheanacho). The rumour of the week is Alexander Sorloth whose purple patch at Villareal last season has put gloss on an otherwise undistinguished career – including a spell at Crystal Palace.

As I see it, acceptable front-runners would be Ivan Toney, Youssef En-Nesyri, and possibly Jhon Duran. En-Nesyri obviously has previous with Lopetegui but is in danger of becoming one of those names that is perennially linked but never comes to pass. Toney may be the best. His betting indiscretions – and the risk of it being repeated – may be preventing bigger clubs taking a gamble, so perhaps there is an opportunity to take advantage as Redknapp did with Di Canio all those years ago.

Careful What You Wish For 2: The Takeover

West Ham takeover fever is back in the news this week with self-styled football consultant, Keith Wyness claiming that exploratory talks are underway to put the club up for sale. Many will say “not before time” but experience elsewhere suggests this has far greater potential to go horribly wrong than a change of manager. The current owners are clearly not universally loved but accusations of their greed and penny-pinching can be greatly exaggerated. They have been prepared to spend money, unfortunately they have not done so wisely.

For all their shortcomings the owners may be preferable to the US investment funds who have taken an interest in European football in recent years but whose mode of operation is to load their acquisitions with debt. Tread very carefully!   

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All views expressed in this article are not necessarily the opinions of any real person, living or dead – unless they turn out to be correct.

West Ham Monday Briefing: Max Kilmania, Scattergunnery, and Reasons To Be Fearful Part Three

July, she will fly, and give no warning to her flight. Time moves on, the season edges ever closer, but West Ham’s rebuilding is more about sales than purchases. Is it time yet to panic?

[ominous music playing]

I feel there has been a subtle change of pre-season mood in the last few days. Gone are the carefree claims of West Ham being busy in the opening days of transfer window, replaced by niggling suspicions that the club needs to pull its collective finger out and get a move on with recruitment.

With no sense irony, one of the more prolific transfer sites – which happily repeats each and every unsubstantiated rumour and half-truth on a daily basis – has accused the club of taking a scattergun approach to recruitment. There is no evidence to support that. Although, we should recognise it makes perefct sense to identify several targets for each position. Success rates are likley not high once it comes down to the nitty gritty of negotiating terms and contracts.

Past performance does not cast the Hammer’s hierarchy as stealthy and agile operators when it comes to signing players. For them, no potential deal can’t be improved by an extended period of petty haggling. Can they really sign six or seven players in a few weeks?

The first pre-season friendly takes place in less than 21 days and the big kick-off is now under seven weeks away. Not long to rebuild the squad and schooling them to play a whole new ball game. Perversely, the most significant rebuild activities to date have been even more outgoings as we bid a fond farewell to Said Benrahma, Ben Johnson and Divin Mubama. Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma are expected to follow. Of the two signings, Luis Guilherme is one for the future while Wes Foderingham will be mainly employed carrying the kit and slicing the half-time oranges.

It leaves a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in. Every team in the modern Premier League is based around roles and organisation. If the expectation of Julen Lopetegui is to transform West Ham into a possession-based side playing out from the back, then that has to be drilled into the players over and over again on the training ground. If half of those players have yet to be signed, then the challenge increases exponentially.

Unless the pace of recruitment picks up significantly, we may well be in for a very slow start to the season. It would be sure to put added pressure on a coach, who may not enjoy the longest of honeymoon periods, and with the careful-what-you-wish-for brigade sniping from the sidelines.

[money being counted]

The dilemma facing West Ham is hoping to get recruitment done early while signing players at bargain prices. Unless they are desperate to raise money, selling clubs hold most of the cards in the early days of the window. If there is perceived competition for a player then why would they accept a low-ball bid now rather than hold out for a better deal?

This is perfectly illustrated in what has been reported on the pursuit of Max Kilman, a player who is allegedly one of the Hammer’s top targets. If Wolves don’t need to sell and there is also interest from Manchester United and Newcastle, they would be daft to agree now to a bid that didn’t meet their valuation? The time for compromise comes towards the end of the window. But only if they are resigned to losing him and need to fund a replacement. Personally, I believe it is time to move on. It is wrong to get fixated over a single player (Jesse Lingard?) and at an asking price of up to £45 million there must be better value out there.

None of us know how much West Ham are prepared to commit to on player transfers and wages in the summer . There are external limits imposed by PSR/ FFP but these are different to any restrictions that may arise from funding or cash flow. I read one self-appointed club insider who, having studied O Level Accounting, came up with a figure of £55 million. Several rumour sites have picked this up and have been running with as a fact. While I doubt the figure has any credibility, I suspect the club’s summer plans were predicated on cashing in on the sale of Lucas Paqueta. With that option not currently available, it does raise awkward question about what assurances were given to a coach who has previous with broken promises. Selling any of the club’s few remaining player assets would only make the rebuilding job even more problematical.

[indistinct transfer chatter]

It has been a disappointing week for the transfer target table with only 12 new names coming to my attention. The full list (click here) now stands at 98 targets having failed to breakthrough the century barrier. No doubt the ongoing Euros and Copa America has diverted attention.

With the window now fully open in the major European leagues, activity may start to accelerate until it ‘slams shut’ on 31 August. According to the Transfermkt website, the Saudi Pro League window runs from 17 July to 6 October. Their unlimited millions may well have ramifications for Premier League clubs.  

Several of this week’s additions – Lukaku, Walker-Peters, Wan-Bissaka – would have been right up the Scottish manager’s street. Hopefully, there are now loftier ambitions.

[checking for minor hidden infringements]

It was refreshing to see England finally make a telling contribution to Euro 2024 when the PGMOL contingent imposed its finicky interpretation of VAR onto the Germany – Denmark game. About time people spent more time discussing the refereeing talking points than the action on the pitch. Don’t mention the VAR.

West Ham Monday Briefing: Rampant Rumours, Lopetegui’s Magnificent Seven Signings, and Striker Light

While we are distracted by the Euros the new Premier League season creeps ever closer with less than eight weeks to go. Will the new look West Ham be ready to go for the ball?

I Heard A Rumour

Keeping tabs on West Ham transfer rumours seemed like a fun idea at the outset. It would be an amusing distraction during the long summer days and nights as the Hammers sought to rebuild their squad out of the shambles left behind by the Scottish manager.

But the early enthusiasm is rapidly becoming as tiresome as a general election campaign. I had bargained on the flow of rumours settling down after an initial flurry, but the speculation shows no sign of slowing. It’s not, though, the number of rumours themselves that cause the distress. It’s having to wade through three-paragraphs of discharge on the background to Julen Lopetegui’s appointment before getting to the point of the story. Is there an Artificial Irrelevance engine that churns out this stuff?

Following another record week of gossip, we have now reached 86 potential targets – and there are sure to be some I have missed altogether. Still, I’ve started so I’ll finish – in the hope that in the real-world Tim Steidten is quietly masterminding recruitment behind the scenes.

There are two deviations in this week’s rumours. The first is that wonderkids have been replaced in the headlines by starlets, although it is not obvious what the differences are. Perhaps a starlet is a little older or a little bit less exciting than a wonderkid. The second is the slightly more worrying trend of the Hammers being linked to assorted detritus deemed surplus to requirements at other Premier League clubs. Dominic Calvert-Lewis, Callum Wilson and a clutch of Arsenal academy rejects, for example. The type of players who would have been on the previous manager’s shopping list. Forget your new-fangled data driven analysis, these guys might be too old, injury prone, or not much good, but hey, they do have Premier League experience.

The pursuit of Wes Foderingham is turning into a classic long running West Ham transfer saga. Quite what data needs to be crunched to sign a veteran, 3rd choice, emergency use only goalkeeper is anyone’s guess. Perhaps a check of his stats can confirm whether he is competent enough at putting the cones out during training.

Magnificent Seven Signings Needed In The Next Four Weeks

With the fixtures now issued, the tick of the clock is gradually sounding louder. It is only 54 days to the start of the new season, and 26 days to the first friendly against Dagenham & Redbridge. As things stand, Luis Guilherme is the only new arrival – nad he has been signed for potential rather than immediate impact. Time looks short for bringing in the required number of bodies and getting them organised to play the way the coach wants them to. Otherwsie a slow start to the season is guaranteed.

I was not a scholar of the way that Lopetegui played during his time at Wolves. A general summary of his preferred approach is: playing out from the back, adopting a high back-line, providing width from the full-backs, keeping hold of possession and energetic pressing. If that is the aim at West Ham, then very few of the current squad are equipped to deliver it. The only obvious contenders are Alphonse Areola, Edson Alvarez, Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus, and Lucas Paqueta. While Vladimir Coufal, Dinos Mavropanos, Emerson, James Ward-Prowse, and Tomas Soucek can provide useful backup, they don’t feel like starters in such a system to me. The assumption is that both Ben Johnson and Nayef Aguerd will be leaving anyway.

It represents quite a gap between desire and reality – even worse if some of the chosen few are tempted away or sacrificed in order to raise funds. This would leaves major priorities as a completely new backline, a mobile defensive minded midfielder, and a striker or two. As a minimum, a further seven signings are needed on board – and quickly.

My Kingdom For A Striker

I counted at least four number one transfer targets in the media during the week. My impression of the most persistent of the very many links seemingly being Max Kilman, Ryan Sessegnon, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Jayden Oosterwolde.

Although estimates of transfer kitty size should always be taken with a pinch of salt, I am not convinced that splurging a significant part of whatever funds are available on Kilman would be a wise move. If the fee is as reported in the £35 – £40 million range, there must be better value out there for a central defender. If big money is going to be spent in any position it has to be for a striker. West Ham’s woes in that department over the past dozen years or so is the stuff of legend. A revolving door of non-scoring duds. It is the most important position to get right and unfortunately, the most difficult one to fill on a budget.  

None of the striker names tat have been mentioned so far really get the juices flowing. And there are several that I hope have zero foundation to them, including Calvert-Lewin, Abrahams, and Wilson. Of the other players linked none have been especially prolific throughout their careers. I can understand why the familiarity of En-Nesyri would appeal to Lopetegui as a known quantity for his system, but he has never caught the eye when I have seen him play. Perhaps taking a gamble (no pun intended) on Ivan Toney would be the smart move despite his poor form after serving his ban – as well as the worry that he might well re-offend. At his best Toney is an excellent all-round striker with an ability to link up play and a healthy goalscoring record.

There does seem to be an incompatibility about the rather deseparate situation West Ham find themselves in on transfers. If you need to bring in many new players as early as possible in the window, then the opportunity to hold out for the best deals is limited – especially where there is competition for signature. But if you end up paying top dollar to get your man, there is less money remaining to satisfy the other gaps needed to be filled. A few minor miracles are required from Tim.

Naturally, the situation is not helped by the ongoing uncertainty over the future of Paqueta. Surely, even the Saudis wouldn’t be dumb enough to cough up a barrel load of oil money while the risk of world-wide ban is still a possibility. Incidentally, the latest from Paqueta Island is that no suspicious activity on the timing of polling day was found, but a lot has been staked on the Prime Minister being awarded a green card after the election.

This week’s list of unlikley transfer targets is shown below. You can see the entire 86 names here.

West Ham Monday Briefing: Sleepless in Sao Paulo, Crime and Punishment, and Transfer Window Waffle

The boys from Brazil once again dominate the news from the London Stadium. Could there be two new ones on the way, and will another be receiving a lifetime ban?

Sleepless in Sao Paulo

Many years ago, I remember tuning in to Radio 5 on the drive home from work to hear that West Ham had signed Eyal Berkovic. There had been no weeks of chatter and speculation beforehand. No mention of monitoring the situation, preparing bids, and holding talks. It was a good old-fashioned swoop in classic Harry Redknapp style.

Today there are no such stealthy manoeuvrings in the world of football transfers. I don’t know if it is true at all clubs, but details of West Ham’s recruitment plans are as leaky as last season’s defence. As if the media have a Where’s Tim app that can track his whereabouts at the touch of a button. And if media reports are to be believed, every transfer pursuit follows the three-act format of Romantic Comedy screen play – meet, lose, and get.

Tim (played by Hugh Grant) tracks down a beautiful potential signing, they get along famously, the player is excited about the London Stadium project and appearing in the Premier League, the club see him as a perfect fit for the progressive football model being built at West Ham. Then everything goes horribly wrong. The Chairman (Bill Nighy) can’t agree contract terms. Sporting Directors from other Premier League teams have been following matters on Newsnow and attempt to hijack the deal. Clubs from oil rich nations get involved (Four Beheadings and A Funeral) splashing piles of cash that would double his weekly salary. As the credits roll Tim makes a last gasp dash to the departure gate at Sao Paulo airport waving an improved offer from London in his hand.

Crime and Punishment

The Lucas Paqueta betting investigation rumbles on with the player’s representatives requesting an extension to the original June 3 deadline for responding to charges. No new date has yet to be agreed. The noises being made last week were that the FA would be pushing for a lifetime ban should Paqueta be found guilty.

Now, it could be a case of the claret and blue tinted spectacles kicking in, but a lifetime ban feels completely disproportionate to the severity of the offence. It’s a huge stretch to interpret being yellow carded as an attempt to fix the outcome of a match. The most ridiculous aspect here is that bookmakers allow bets to be placed on peripheral and easily influenced events like throw-ins, corners, and yellow cards in the first place. Just another case of their greed, I suppose. Happy to take your money as long as they hold all the cards, yellow or otherwise. The role of Betway in this affair should not be overlooked. Wouldn’t a quiet word have been more appropriate than a full-scale whistle-blowing that could result in one of their partners losing out on £85 million. The idea that a gambling firm was overcome with a sense of moral responsibility must be pure fantasy.

Then there is the FA, an organisation who have happily accepted Russian gangsters and murderous nation states as fit and proper football club owners, getting on their high horse over a prank by a bunch of Brazilian islanders. An independent regulator is looking more and more like a sound idea.

Speaking of authoritarian club owners, the Premier League are now being sued by Manchester City for discrimination because they have been prevented them from funnelling even more cash into the team that has just won their fourth consecutive title. City’s case also complaining bitterly about the ‘tyranny of the majority’ in Premier League decision making – or democracy as we call it.

We are programmed to dislike all the ‘big six’ clubs but City are now the most despised in my opinion. I would love to see them expelled from the league and stripped of all their titles when the hearing into the 155 breaches of rules is finally heard. But that is never going to happen!

Breaking News: Transfer Update

Only four days to go before the transfer window officially opens and the speculation keeps on rolling in. Speculation continues to be dominated by Brazilians with strong rumours that Luis Guilherme is about to become the first signing of the Lopetegui era. A worrying trend in recent days has seen Guilherme regularly described as a wonderkid. It is a term that has historically been applied to youngsters who eventually disappear without trace. A second stuborn rumour is that the Hammers will lso be signing Brazilian centre-back Vitao.

We should not forget the final exciting update of the transfer week as West Ham have seemingly fought off stiff competition to capture the signature of Wes Foderingham as third choice keeper.

A further 15 names have been added to the speculative target list this week as shown below. The full list of 52 linked players can be viewed here. Even if most are made up, they are a better class of speculation than we were used to under the Scottish Manager (it is bad luck to mention him by name). No more Maguires, McTominays or Brownhills on the list – although Tammy Abraham remains a worry.

There is Nothing Like a Dane

Apropos of nothing, I was looking through the annals of Scandinavians who have turned out in a West Ham shirt. Given the love of their gods for hammers, it is a very short list. There are currently 14 Danes, 8 Swedes, 5 Norwegians, and 1 Finn playing in the Premier League. But none at the London Stadium.

It has not been a fertile area of recruitment at the club with the most successful in terms of both appearances and goals being Marc Rieper. I was very sorry to see him go when he left for Cletic.

Here is the full list: Rieper (101 apps, 5 goals), Jaaskelainen (61, 0), Ljungberg (28, 2), Jacobsen (26, 0), Nordtveit (21, 0), Carew (21, 2), Tihinen (10, 0), Soma (9, 0), Alexanderson (8, 0), Samuelson (2, 0).