West Ham Till I Die
Comments
Talking Point

Oxford Blues – Why West Ham Should Not Sell At Any Price

Blind Hammer looks at the hidden cost of accepting a transfer fee for Reece Oxford

A persistent story doing the rounds is that Reece Oxford and his advisors are angling for a move away from West Ham in order to secure a mega buck’s wage for the 17 year old. The latest story doing the rounds is that Gold and Sullivan have resigned themselves to this and are ready to entertain bids from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

On one level I can sympathise with any person trying to maximise their earning potential and I certainly agree that freedom of contract should exist in labour Law. However football players are, I believe, a special case. Reece Oxford is already on a lucrative contact worth thousands of pounds a week and the terms the club are prepared to offer him would probably make him the highest paid 17 year old in the UK, and probably Europe.

In that context it is difficult to see the latest manoeuvres by Oxford’s agents and advisors as little more than an unappealing drive to milk the Oxford gravy train for their own pecuniary interests.

Remaining at West Ham is unlikely to stymie or deter Oxford’s career to any degree, he is actually far more likely to develop as a footballer with the continued exposure to the first team that he is receiving here than jogging around the development squads of bigger PL teams.

This self-interested drive by agents to manipulate and arrange moves can positively harm young player’s careers. Can Rahim Sterling’s advisors really look at themselves in the mirror and honestly say that they have helped his development by engineering a move to Manchester City? Sterling now appears lost, a talent wandering, failing to realise the explosive potential he showed at Liverpool.

Somebody should be in Oxford’s ear pointing out how greedy agents have ruined careers for players in the past.

Given that no real harm would come to Oxford from a 18 month stay at West Ham then it is fair to look at the implications to the club from selling.

The first thing to say is that selling Oxford would blast a huge hole in the claim that we are no longer a selling club. We would not have advanced fundamentally further from the time when we were prepared to sell Ferdinand, Cole, Defoe, Johnston, Lampard, Ince and Carrick. The perception would remain that the West Ham family silver is always up for grabs.

However more importantly is that the sums we received for the sale of these players were a fraction of their eventual value. It was simply not good business.

Sometimes clubs have to make a stand. John Stone had his head turned by Chelsea; Saido Berahino had his head turned by Spurs but both the Everton and West Brom boards refused to cave into the manoeuvrings of these player’s agents and were determined to make a stand for their clubs.

Allowing Oxford to run his contract down and potentially leave on a free would be worth any transfer we receive for him if it broke this perception that West Ham can be constantly raided for any talent we possess.

The truth is that if we are not prepared to make a similar stand with Oxford’s so called advisors, if we cannot match the determination of clubs like Everton and West Brom, then we do not deserve to be seen as a club with ambition.

COYI

David Griffith

About us

West Ham Till I Die is a website and blog designed for supporters of West Ham United to discuss the club, its fortunes and prospects. It is operated and hosted by West Ham season ticket holder, LBC radio presenter and political commentator Iain Dale.

More info

Follow us

Contact us

Iain Dale, WHTID, PO Box 663, Tunbridge Wells, TN9 9RZ

Visit iaindale.com, Iain Dale’s personal website & blog.

Get in touch

Copyright © 2024 Iain Dale Limited.