New season, new stadium, new badge, but is it still the same old West Ham in the transfer market? As ever, it has been a topsy-turvy transfer window in East London with several players from across the continent and beyond being linked with the club. With transfer deadline day fast approaching, let’s take a closer look at whether or not this has been a successful transfer window for West Ham.
The hunt for a striker has dominated the gossip columns for weeks, but one particular piece of business stood out for me the most; the sale of James Tomkins. Crystal Palace signed the West Ham academy graduate for £10million, admittedly a good price, but this is not how the Hammers usually operate. It does suggest though that we are perhaps no longer relying on the Academy especially after the Tony Carr debacle, and moving towards a different model.
Tomkins is West Ham through-and-through and is a player that we could have most certainly done with at the start of this season. He was a competent right-back and a centre-back by trade. Selling him broke many hearts and he has been at the club since he was just a boy. Having to play Michail Antonio right-back was perhaps detrimental to early results in the campaign, and Tomkins was a big miss at this stage with all the injuries and whatnot. With the move away from Upton Park too, are we perhaps being less sentimental?
West Ham have also taken the decision to loan out some of the youngsters. The development of their ability is, of course, crucial, but we could have done with a couple of them being promoted to the first team setup. Martin Samuelsen being loaned out to Blackburn Rovers is an odd one for instance, as I believe he is good enough to be in the first team. Josh Cullen is another player who looks like he could be a future key player, but instead West Ham decided to loan him out and sign another midfielder in Edimilson Fernandes. Again, are we now less reliant on the youth? A real shame if so.
A key positive of the window though has been keeping Dimitri Payet at the club. His stunning Euro 2016 left fans fearful of his future but it looks like he will be staying. Payet is good enough to play in the Champions League and although European football is no longer on offer in Stratford, his relationship with the fans is beautiful and he wants to stay and help the team in their new adventure.
One thing that is certain though is the long-running drama series that has been West Ham’s hunt for a striker seems to have finally come to an end following the arrivals of Simone Zaza, Andre Ayew and Jonathan Calleri. We should be happy that we have been able to get three forwards in through the door, despite them being not the first choice targets that the club had in mind. Ayew’s injury was not foreseen but Calleri and Zaza will look to make a big impact when Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and Sofiane Feghouli can give them the service they so desperately need.
However, it is a concern when clubs like Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough have managed to sign Christian Benteke and Alvaro Negredo respectively. Were West Ham too unrealistic in trying to pursue someone like Alexandre Lacazette? At the end of the day, only time will tell if we have made the right business decisions. With Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia still hanging around the club as well, it is expected that their futures are to be sorted out within the next couple of days. It would be rather surprising if both were to remain.
On a positive note, we have made some stunning signings this season that should be brilliant for many years to come. Sofiane Feghouli is a fantastic winger who will cause havoc in the Premier League, and he also knows where to find the back of the net as he showed against Domzale. Ashley Fletcher also looks like a promising prospect for the future, whilst Arthur Masauku seems to have settled in very quickly to cover for the injured Aaron Cresswell. We must also not forget the permanent signing of Manuel Lanzini.
