An exclusive report in the Evening Standard has revealed how David Moyes’ fresh transfer ethos at West Ham has yielded the best from his squad.
The report indicates that there is a vibrant and positive atmosphere at the club stemming from the owners all the way down to Moyes, his backroom staff and the players themselves. That fell-good factor owes in part to a shift in transfer policy.
The Evening Standard outlined that one of Moyes’ first acts in his second managerial stint was to usher in a hard-hitting lecture on the poor running stats of the squad, indicating a lazy and uninspiring work rate.
That was accompanied by a new transfer focus in which new signings had to meet, in part, a criteria of being hard workers making fierce sprints with boundless energy – a policy which has yielded the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek, both prized for their work on and off the ball.
Indeed, Soucek’s arrival has been attributed to a name which otherwise may have eluded even the most ardent of West Ham fans: Jordan Miles.
Miles, who serves as head of recruitment analysis at West Ham, was the man who recommended the Czech Republic international to Moyes when the manager requested a hard-working sprinter of a midfielder, as revealed by the Irons boss.
Soucek, who ran a staggering 17km against Manchester United in their FA Cup clash recently, fitted that profile ideally, as illustrated by such extraordinary running statistics.
Moyes has insisted that West Ham will no longer buy “overpriced and overpaid” players and said he did not want to waste money after the club opted against signing a striker last month.
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This data-driven approach is keeping transfer costs down and performances high given Soucek’s integral role to Moyes’ plans this season.
The same can be said for Vladimir Coufal, with the Czech duo indicative of how working intelligently on good-value players is laying a blueprint for sporting and financial success at West Ham.
Good job, Jordan Miles!
