January 2022 Transfer Window

[funky chicken]

I always ask the same questions with regards to strikers. And that question is: What’s the quality of opposition they regularly score against? This may not sound important to others. But for me it very much is. As the amount of goals scored by a striker can be misleading.

Take Adam Armstrong as a perfect example. He scored 29 goals for Blackburn last season. Very impressive! But take a closer look at the teams he scored his goals against: https://www.soccerbase.com/players/pla ... son_id=153 a high majority of his goals were against the cr*p at the bottom of the League. Or at best mid table. The problem is you’re not playing teams as cr*p as Rotterham in the Premier League. If Armstrong couldn’t score against the teams near the top of the League - especially the ones good enough to be promoted to the Premier League - then he sure as hell won’t when the likes of Liverpool, Leicester, Man Utd etc. come to town!

Now you look at Bowen’s record at Hull for 2-3 seasons:
https://www.soccerbase.com/players/pla ... son_id=150 he regularly scored against the teams competing at the top, for promotion. And that’s for playing for a team that’s as mediocre (at best!) as Hull City! More often than not I usually find the strikers that come from the Championship and deliver in the Premier League are the ones that not only score bucket loads of goals for more than 1 season. But they regularly score against the teams competing at the top of the League. See Dean Ashton, Darren Bent, Andy Johnson, Chris Wood etc.

We have a striker in Michail Antonio that has scored against the likes of Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool, Leicester, The Spuds etc. ever since he joined the club. We need to find a striker that can do the same if we are serious about establishing ourselves as a top 7 team.

[yakandyeti]

Daniel Kretinsky has written an article in the standard. No huge windfall, gradual growth. By paying down the debt we can spend Sulli's 7% on transfers instead.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba ... 68209.html

[S-H]

Daniel Kretinsky has written an article in the standard. No huge windfall, gradual growth. By paying down the debt we can spend Sulli's 7% on transfers instead.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba ... 68209.html

#KretOUTsky!!

[Gweilo]

Daniel Kretinsky has written an article in the standard. No huge windfall, gradual growth. By paying down the debt we can spend Sulli's 7% on transfers instead.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba ... 68209.html

This has been the word from the beginning. This people expecting a massive injection of cash just for transfers are kidding themselves. That said I do expect there will be a budget for January. Just nowhere near the numbers being thrown around here.

[MB]

Bowen scored 54 goals in three seasons before he joined us.

Good goal scoring records in the Championship, doesn't necessarily equate to a similar strike rate, once a player has made the step up.

Bowen’s stats were on par with Salah's in the 12 months before we bought him. A different level clearly but a “not quite as good as Salah” was always going to translate well to the prem. the fact he works his b*llocks off is a massive plus.

As you allude to the “how” is as important as the “what”. Same when looking to sign a player from any “lesser” league and perhaps explains the reluctance around Hlozek.

[MB]

This has been the word from the beginning. This people expecting a massive injection of cash just for transfers are kidding themselves. That said I do expect there will be a budget for January. Just nowhere near the numbers being thrown around here.

After years of crap, I cannot really blame people for getting a little carried away but yes tempered enthusiasm is to way to go. Some money is there to be spent and I trust the bloke whose job it is to spend it. Those two things have rarely aligned for us!

[Lars Jacobsen]

The downside of Hlozek is fairly minimal given his age and scoring record. If he were to come here and go goalless for the rest of the season, a big club in a lesser league (Austria, Greece, Turkey, Holland etc) would still allow us to recoup our investment. It's hard to see why we wouldn't go in for him at the quoted figures.

It's clear where we need instant reinforcements - up front and possibly at CB (although both Dawson and Diop have had their moments, and I wouldn't mind promoting them alongside Zouma to allow Baptiste a chance in the Europa etc).

Talking about a LB etc in January is pie-in-the-sky. Yes we need a long term successor to Cresswell, but there will be neither the availability nor the value available in the Winter.

A striker, and then an opportune signing (Lingard or maybe someone on loan) will be our lot. And that's fine. We're 4th.

[MB]

The downside of Hlozek is fairly minimal given his age and scoring record. If he were to come here and go goalless for the rest of the season, a big club in a lesser league (Austria, Greece, Turkey, Holland etc) would still allow us to recoup our investment. It's hard to see why we wouldn't go in for him at the quoted figures.

I seem to remember the same being said about Hugill and easily being able to sell him back to the Championship.

Once a player goes on a premier league wage, it creates risk for resale.

[LeonRivers]

When you're looking at a striker, goals record is one of the most important things to look at.

There's a guy tearing it up at Ajax at the moment. Joint top scorer in the Champion's League.

Something about him just doesn't convince me that he would work up front for us and would turn out to be a colossal waste of money, but maybe I'm just looking at 'unimportant stuff'.

There is SO MUCH MORE to consider when looking at a player than raw, out of context stats. And I love raw, out of context stats.

[S-H]

When you look at the business done by Moyes since his return, the signing of Hugill really stands out like a sore thumb..

Had to be dodgy, surely?

[Aceface]

The downside of Hlozek is fairly minimal given his age and scoring record. If he were to come here and go goalless for the rest of the season, a big club in a lesser league (Austria, Greece, Turkey, Holland etc) would still allow us to recoup our investment.

I'm not sure that's true – Turkey is the biggest of those leagues for taking on star players and do they ever pay real money for anyone? They seem to specialise in taking on distressed assets who might be on "big 5 league" wages precisely because they don't like to pay much (or any) transfer fee.

You're certainly not going to get much of a £20m transfer recouped by selling into Austria or Greece.

[S-H]

Daniel Kretinsky has written an article in the standard. No huge windfall, gradual growth. By paying down the debt we can spend Sulli's 7% on transfers instead.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba ... 68209.html

Who wants to break the news to Peaches.. be gentle, yeah?

[NWhammer]

2 more for Brereton tonight, 16 goals in 19 appearances this season, and still only 22.

He's a no brainer.

No he's still crap

[Garry]

I think if we were going after haller now with him scoring all these goals especially in Europe for 42 million we would all now be excited and well going for it

[ageing hammer]

I think if we were going after haller now with him scoring all these goals especially in Europe for 42 million we would all now be excited and well going for it

How much did we sell him for

[swash]

Daniel Kretinsky has written an article in the standard. No huge windfall, gradual growth. By paying down the debt we can spend Sulli's 7% on transfers instead.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba ... 68209.html

He was doing well until he mentioned Sullivan and professionalism in the same sentence

[Lars Jacobsen]

I'm not sure that's true – Turkey is the biggest of those leagues for taking on star players and do they ever pay real money for anyone? They seem to specialise in taking on distressed assets who might be on "big 5 league" wages precisely because they don't like to pay much (or any) transfer fee.

You're certainly not going to get much of a £20m transfer recouped by selling into Austria or Greece.

I think you're overestimating the wage we'd give him, personally.

Also if you spend £20m and recoup £12m after a season, that's no worse than an expensive loan signing.

[Puff Daddy]

He was doing well until he mentioned Sullivan and professionalism in the same sentence

From.reading his comments, I think Sulivan has already got to him, personally

[Wilko1304]

Brighton Days (that's the English translation of common Chilean name Brereton Diaz), for me, is just not showing himself as good enough at the rest of the things we need. I wouldn't be annoyed, by any means, but it would feel a little like going with the buzz rather than planning.

That's the stuff I really want to see him being able to do, the nitty gritty of being a striker for West Ham. Being able to score goals is a talent, but it's not one that has always translated itself to being effective in how we play or what we need (see Haller or Hernandez etc).

[steveyrockstar]

I'd honestly never heard of Breererererton before this season, and I've never seen him play, but I'm just wondering how he comes to be selected for a national side as decent as Chile if he isn't very good, especially as he's only 22 and only playing in the C'ship. Sounds like to me he's regarded as some prospect. Unless Chile really aren't any better than Republic of Ireland at the moment.

(That's not a dig at Eire btw, just using as an example of a side who've fallen and pick most of their players from the English lower leagues).