Having already shelled out in the region of £25m this summer on eight new Hammers this summer, David Gold and David Sullivan are showing no signs of easing up on their spending spree, with several key squad positions needing addressing before now and the start of the season.
While I’m fully behind the spending spree, there some free agent options out there that could prove to be some real astute business by the David’s this summer.
The first of which is French international midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, who’s available after his release from Lyon. West Ham have been linked with a move this summer for the 29-year-old attacking midfielder, who is said to be interested in coming to the Premier League, and has been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City since his release. Gourcuff was a highly-rated prospect coming from Rennes before he was quickly snapped up by Milan, but failed to settle in Italy and returned to France with Bordeaux where he began to get his career back on track.
After scoring 18 goals and recording 19 assists in 68 appearances for Bordeaux over two years, he earned himself a money move to Lyon. Blighted by injury, Gourcuff was never able to replicate the form he showed at Bordeaux, with only 14 goals and 20 assists in 93 appearances for the club over five seasons. Knee injuries were his biggest issue, always cropping up after a ligament tear in 2012 really limited his game time in the seasons to follow.
Gourcuff has the ability to be a creator and a goalscorer for the Hammers, but you have to question his accountability and whether he could be fit for a 38 game season (will be a common theme with these players). Perhaps a one or two-year deal, heavily incentivised could be an option for the club. Would add some great depth in our midfield as well.
Despite bringing in two fullbacks this summer, the Hammers continue to be linked with another right-back to add to the depth at the position with a bloated schedule on the horizon. An established Premier League veteran has been released this summer in Ryan Taylor. 117 Premier League appearances, eight goals and 14 assists during his time with Wigan and Newcastle is a respectable effort, but injuries really did hold him back.
He missed all but two games in the 12/13 season, and the entire 13/14 season due to ruptured knee ligaments, but made his return last term, making 14 appearances in Newcastle’s successful survival bid. Knee injuries have followed him wherever he goes.
His versatility is a major plus point in his game, comfortable on either foot at both right and left-back, and also played a lot in central midfield last season. However, his best attribute by far are his set plays. Always a goal threat from dead balls with Taylor. When he gets on the pitch he can offer you fantastic delivery from wide, the problem is, he’s always injured. Worth a punt on a one-year, pay-as-you-play deal.
Some interesting ex-Barcelona options coming up, the first of which is Ibrahim Afellay. The Dutchman never cut it at the Nou Camp following his arrival from PSV, mainly down to a series of injury problems. An ACL tear in 2011 put him out of their squad, and seemingly out of mind as a series of loans followed, first to Schalke. A regular for the Bundesliga side before a terrible thigh tear forced him to miss over a year of football, including nearly all of the 13/14 season.
He was given a lifeline this past season on loan with Olympiakos, where he showed glimpses of the talent that convinced Barcelona to bring him to Spain in the first place. Four goals and three assists in 19 league games for Olympiakos was a decent return, but not good enough to make them sign him permanently, leaving him without a club.
At 29, Afellay doesn’t have much more potential to offer clubs, but he’s got the ability in the attacking third to make things happen. 39 goals and 23 assists for PSV as he broke onto the scene in the mid-late 2000s proves this. Able to play on the right, left and behind the striker, he could influence the game in a number of areas. Again, another one/two-year contract could be the way to go.
The next Barcelona reject to make the list is winger Isaac Cuenca. The former ‘wonderkid’ first broke into the Barcelona set up in 2011 having emerged from the famed La Masia academy. He made 36 appearances that season in all competitions, scoring six times and assisting 12 times.
However, a knee injury that pre-season kept him out the entire first half of the season, losing his place in the first-team squad. He was sent out on loan to Ajax that January, but after only five appearances he aggravated that same knee injury and missed the rest of the season, and underwent surgery in June, missing the entire 13/14 season.
After reaching an agreement with Barcelona to terminate his contract in the summer of 2014, he signed a one-year deal with Deportivo, but wasn’t terribly impressive over the season, scoring twice and assisting twice in 27 La Liga games, and was not offered a new deal. At 24, time’s on his side to come good, and could be worth a look on a one/two-year deal with an option of a further year, and see if he can cope with the labours of English football. Anyone who could nail down a place in the Barcelona team during their pomp has serious talent. Hopefully he can realise his potential.
Another former Premier League player makes the list now as Dimitar Berbatov is available following the expiry of his contract with Monaco. A former Golden Boot winner with Manchester United, Berbatov has proven Premier League quality and has scored goals wherever he’s been.
Supremely talented, sometimes Berbatov doesn’t get the credit he deserves due to the lackadaisical nature of his play, with the way he saunters around the pitch, not really putting the necessary effort in that he should. He’s scored 94 goals in the Premier League, as well as 42 assists, proving he can be the team player when needed.
Reportedly looking to one last hurrah in English football, and West Ham said to be keen & looking for a striker, couldn’t do much worse than the man who once did this.
Finally, looking to sign a central midfielder, Lassana Diarra could be a very wise piece of business from Slaven Bilic. Diarra spent several months in the second half of the season training with West Ham, and had agreed to join the club as a free agent, before FIFA stepped in and blocked the deal due to a contract dispute with former club Lokomotiv Moscow.
The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder brings some pedigree to Upton Park, and could do a real job in a rotation role in the heart of the midfield, especially while Alex Song recovers from his injury lay-off as his move to the club is delayed.
Now, with his issue with FIFA now cleared up, the Hammers should really press on and bring in Diarra to add depth to the midfield ahead of a very demanding season on the players physically.
