The club’s transfer business in the last two or three summer transfer windows have been superb. In that time we brought players of the quality of kouyate, Sakho, Lanzini and Payet to the club and this has been key in taking us forward. Arguably, this present summer transfer window has hitherto not gone nearly as smoothly. The co-Chairmen made a major mistake in publicly declaring their intention to spend £30m plus on a top class striker and, paradoxically, that statement probably militated against the club in actually landing their prioritised targets. Last season I predicted on here that transfer dealings could be far more complicated this summer. That was based on the likelihood that not only were rival clubs watching West Ham’s transfer moves, due to our previous ‘below-the-radar’ success; and also that with the new TV deal, overseas clubs would look to hike up transfer fees and players/agents would demand enhanced personal terms.
And thus, this has proven to be the case. We have missed our major striker targets this season and have had to content ourselves with second tier targets. We knew that Andy Carroll was vulnerable to injury, but we desperately hoped that he had turned a corner. Unfortunately he is now back on the treatment table and we have been denied his services for a reported 4-6 weeks. The cruellest blow was the untimely the thigh injury suffered by Andre Ayew, which no one could have anticipated. On the plus side, Calleri looks hungry for success and possesses pace, good movement and promising finishing skills. It was unfortunate that he did not finish off that break away move to put us 2-0 up against Bournemouth, but if he continues to apply himself then the goals will come. To me, Valencia looks an unsettled player and it would probably benefit both the club and the player if he moved this summer. For that to happen, we probably need two deals to come off; namely, the loan deals for Wilfred Bony and Simon Zaza. Make no mistake, they are two class strikers who can make a major difference to our season.
The other hope is that Sakho comes back fit and with a new attitude. We have all seen the cohesion, link up play and goal scoring threat that he brings to our forward play. I never wanted to lose him and it would be a huge bonus if he comes back strong, focused and ready to fight for a starting place. I do not know Sakho as an individual, but he does strike me as a confidence player, one that wants to feel wanted and essential to the first team. Bilic needs to consider that and whether they are key factors in managing the psychology and preparation of the player. A different approach might just see a end to the poor reactions and the player productively re-integrated back in to the squad. That could yet be a key factor in our success this season.
There are new rumours that Reece Burke will be loaned out to a Championship side this season. I have to say that I admire the common sense and commitment to self-development shown by Burke. Not to mention his application while on loan and determination to derive maximum benefit from the learning experience. He obviously sees his next loan deal as the door way to a successful first team future, hence the new 4 year contract that he has just signed. In this important respect, he is an important role model for other youngsters coming through the youth system. It is also very positive to see Martin Samuelson also signing a new deal, with a view to another loan deal up to Christmas. Again, Samuelson seems to recognise that he has more to learn and he sees this as a pathway to his graduation to first team duties.
However, as valuable as Burke’s loan will undoubtedly be in the long-term, that probably leaves us a bit short at centre-back. Yes, we have Collins, Reid and Ogbonna, plus Oxford, but is that enough cover? I know we also have Nordtvelt and Kouyate, who can play there; but surely that is not our preferred option? The problem this summer is that the squad deficits have not been addressed as systematically as we would like. We have been so focused on landing a ‘marquee’ striker that other areas of deficit have not been adequately addressed. Now, we are entering the final two weeks of the window desperately trying to fill remaining the gaps in the squad.
Regardless, although the summer window business has not gone that smoothly, hopefully the end product will still be the same as the previous two seasons. Ayew is an excellent forward and will make a major contribution when fit. The loss of the creative trio of Payet, Lanzini and Feghouli is a major blow, but it is anticipated that they will be back very soon. The absence of such a talented triumvirate would impact adversely on any side and we will see the positive difference once they are back and firing on all cylinders. If we can land Bony and Zaza on loan then I will be more than happy with our strength in the forward line.
But we must guard against neglecting our rearguard. We need to consider if we are strong enough at centre-back and whether we need to recruit at full-back. Surely the club would not have sent both Hendrie and Page out on loan without recruiting extra cover at full-back? As I have previously stated, this is a major area of risk that should be addressed before the window closes at the end of the month.
SJ. Chandos