January 2022 Transfer Window

[Bubbles Fortuna]

Those 3 points would have qualified us for the Champions League last season as would they in 2015/16 when we last found ourselves in this position and failed to invest and take advantage.

And what if new signings on deadline day win us games later this season?

We have no way of knowing.

[ironilunga]

I think the manager has more self belief. He doesn't look at the league table and see this as our one shot at glory.

I think that is really naive. Next season both Cresswell and Antonio turn 33 and Ogbonna 34. Rice may well have been sold and Noble will have retired.

Sometimes you have to seize the day and take an opportunity that is in front of you.

[Skandi Brudson]

I get the argument for thinking long term (I think!) but we sold Haller a year ago leaving us with one, injury suspect, striker.

Haller wasn’t sold on a whim, so the club must have known that another striker was needed for at least the last year and a half.

No suitable candidate could be found in all that time? Again, we’re getting the ‘wait til the next window’ routine.

[S-H]

The window is a month long, for a reason.

We'd all like to see players arrive in the first week of the season, but there are so many different variables at play, that it just doesn't work like that.

[davids cross]

I'm not sure it is just the owners. As others have posted, this is how Moyes works. He looks to build for long term continued challenge rather than taking a one off roll of the dice. It is what he did as Everton.

I don't think it's the owners at all this time.

And everything else you say is bang on the money too.

You either take Moyes like this.......or you don't. I do. Doesn't mean I don't think we need a forward and a defender etc......I just admire his principles. He does what he thinks is right for West Ham United as a whole.........not to placate fans, not placate the board......or media.....or to try and make a grab for a trophy.......He's thinking 5 years ahead. Almost trying to set in place something that will live beyond his own tenure at the club. But hopefully, benefit his too.

We have been a rambling mess for donkeys years. Both on and off the field. A good season here and there......a laughing scouting system. And too much power with one man in the board on all football matters.

Moyes has taken a wrecking ball to all that failure and started to make us look a tiny bit professional. Something everybody has cried out for since Jesus was a boy.

[Macca1973]

The window is a month long, for a reason.

We'd all like to see players arrive in the first week of the season, but there are so many different variables at play, that it just doesn't work like that.

You are right S-H but I think people get twitchy because we've known Ogbonna was out for the season for how long? We've known Antonio is the only striker for how long? The window is a month but the scouting and work behind the scenes should have been going on for months to identify targets.

[-DL-]

Leeds is the gripe. Other than that no new signings would have had any impact.

Southampton was horrid, but we didn't have a transfer window then.

Would shiny new signings have beaten Leeds? We have no way of knowing, but if waiting loses us three points but we get better signings than I'm all for it.

The lack of alternatives that was allowed to happen in previous windows, whilst playing the 'wait and see game', along with the points dropped during Antonios dry spell due to the aforementioned, has had a baring on it. It's short sighted to just blame the lack of signings in the right positions and having an Antonio alternative just on this window. We've been Haller-less for approaching three full transfer windows and we've done nothing about it.

It's bitten us in the arse, and unless something happens radically in the next week and a bit, it will continue to bite us in the arse. It seems to be the same old, same old.

We've been very lucky in the grand scheme of things, that thus far this season, Antonios pasta hamstrings haven't gone pop. Yet.

[ironilunga]

The window is a month long, for a reason.

Such an important window for West Ham fans though S-H. Not often we get to the business end of a European comp let alone siting 4th in the league. I think getting UCL is probably our only chance of keeping Rice for another season and everyone would like to give Noble the best chance of lifting a cup in his last season.

With a week to go I don’t blame people for being a little frustrated (myself included).

[aaronhammer]

Whilst I accept Moyes’ comments say it’s down to him rather than the board for not signing anybody so far, I do wonder if he’s just taking the heat because history suggests otherwise.

Here is our January window business since returning to the Premier League in 2012/13 (ignored some of the younger players who have never/rarely played, or loans out).

Allardyce
12/13
Pogatetz - Loan
Joe Cole - Free
Chamakh - Loan
Paulista - Loan

13/14
Borriella - Loan
Roger Johnson - Loan
Armero - Loan
Nocerino - Loan

14/15
Nene - Loan

Bilic
15/16
Byram - £4.32m
Emenike - Loan
(*Jarvis - £3.06m)
(Zarate - £1.89m)
(Jelavic - £1.00m)

16/17
Snodgrass - £10.8m
Fonte - £8.28m
(Payet - £26.37m)

Moyes
17/18
Hugill - £9.18m
Joao Mario - Loan
(Ayew - £20.52m)
(Sakho - £9m)
(Fonte - £5.01m)

Pellegrini
18/19
Nasri - Free

Moyes
19/20
Bowen - £19.17m
Randolph - £4.23m
Soucek - Loan

20/21
*Benrahma - £20.79m
Lingard - Loan
(Haller - £20.25m)
(Snodgrass - £99k)

* Loan made permanent

So Moyes has done the most for us in January windows but also only once have we really spent in January (19/20).

So when Moyes says the right player for the right price isn’t available, I’d suggest he means we can’t get a player on loan with an option to buy…

[MooresTheHero]

Just do something dave x 3

You just carry on as you are fella.

You’re entitled to an opinion just like anyone else.

If they don’t like it, tough

[-DL-]

He's thinking 5 years ahead.

And I don't have any issues in that. However, that shouldn't also come at the expense of what we could achieve in there here and now. What we do in the hear and now will have a massive baring on where we are in five years if we're going down the stability route - which of course, I'm glad we're doing.

It doesn't compute in my head that we want to build for the future whilst potentially (likely?) stuffing up again the chance for a fourth place finish for the third time in six years.

I just don't understand that thinking to be honest with you. Let's not make a few tweaks and signings so we have a genuine chance for top four, because we're building long term so we can have a tilt at, erm, top four in five years.

[bubbles1966]

Oddly enough, I don't think we lost last week because of either Diop or cover for Antonio - we lost because we paired Lanzini and Rice in central midfield and they weren't effective against the counter.

We'd won our previous four games, including all three during the transfer window, but a tactical and selection error was made.

It was the game that cried out for Soucek, or a comparable understudy. Kral doesn't appear to be it. Without one, the team needed rebalancing as it had too many lightweight ball players in it and that left the defence constantly exposed to quick counters.

Perhaps Rice should have been more disciplined but there's a stat doing the rounds this morning that claims he is #1 in Europe for carrying the ball forward. That's teh kind of thing that adds millions to a player's value.

Does Zouma's return deal with the issue with Diop? Diop is far from perfect but he is being excessively castigated, imo.

The worst we will finish this season should be 8th. Wolves are the only team below the top 7 who are realistically chasing, and they are about to sell Traore to Spurs.

My personal suspicion is that there are a priority list of targets and that we may have, for example, number 5 on the list lined up, but we won't finalise if we believe we can get someone higher up the list.

[funky chicken]

He is also too cautious. We all know that from his subs etc. It is his biggest fault as a manager and perhaps the thing that holds him back. He doesn't put his last tenner on red, he puts it in an ISA!

Last season in terms of subs either scoring or assisting a goal only Man Utd and Liverpool were above us. We were joint 3rd with Chelsea.



‘Biggest fault’, ‘too cautious’.

[S-H]

Such an important window for West Ham fans though S-H. Not often we get to the business end of a European comp let alone siting 4th in the league. I think getting UCL is probably our only chance of keeping Rice for another season and everyone would like to give Noble the best chance of lifting a cup in his last season.

With a week to go I don’t blame people for being a little frustrated (myself included).

I understand the frustration IL, I do, and I'm not going to criticise anyone for feeling that, or for expressing those frustrations.

I just happen feel relaxed about the whole thing, at present, and I'm confident that we will get buisness done.

I will of course be disappointed as anyone if that doesn't transpire

[bonzosbeard]

Idah still pulling those Norwich strings. Just saying.

Just make them an offer they cannot refuse. Spend rest on CB.

[DusseldorfHammer]

I get the argument for thinking long term (I think!) but we sold Haller a year ago leaving us with one, injury suspect, striker.

Haller wasn’t sold on a whim, so the club must have known that another striker was needed for at least the last year and a half.

No suitable candidate could be found in all that time? Again, we’re getting the ‘wait til the next window’ routine.

Haller also got sold, because Frankfurt did put the screws on us in terms of unpaid transfer fees etc. .

[Aceface]

I do recall an Everton fan speaking to me about Moyes around the time we’d started to ‘get good’ - so presumably must have been first half of last season - and he was overwhelmingly positive about what life is like under his charge. But he did say the biggest problem was the infuriating caution in games, and that he has this huge blind spot when it comes to strikers - said it was a constant problem in them trying to make the final leap while he was at Everton. Said that the flipside to the compliments about being able to squeeze goals out of nominally non-CFs like Cahill and Fellaini (I guess read Arnautovic, Antonio and Soucek) is that it was out of necessity because of the long-term issue of recruiting a centre-forward.

[Kakophonix]

I am surprised we didn't compete for Sissoko when he signed for Watford. Still a very good player who would stiffen up our midfield and bring leadership and experience

I doubt so...Watford looks just like a team which is missing exactly leadership... No spark, no team work..just a bunch of skilfull individuals. I would blame manager and team´s formal and unformal leaders for that...
Their yestaerday loss to Norwich was exactly about leadership

[ironilunga]

But he did say the biggest problem was the infuriating caution in games, and that he has this huge blind spot when it comes to strikers

The positives overwhelmingly outweigh the negatives with Moyes but I do think his prudence and caution does hold him and us back a little in the transfer market. Everyone expects us to fall away in the league so to see two exciting players walk through the door this window would be a real statement.

It’s a funny thing with Moyes. If he didn’t have the flaws he does then he probably wouldn’t be managing us. I guess we’ll just have to overlook his over cautious nature because that aside he is ze chiens testes

[hammers92]

When you think about it, the easier windows are when you’re in the bottom three because there’s a very high percentage the player you’re bringing in is better than what you’ve got.

It’s very fine margins to improve the side and not upset the balance. I posted a couple of pages back that I think we need a couple of bodies rather than an absolute stone wall upgrade on someone.

Phil Jones and Origi makes sense to me.