January 2022 Transfer Window

[Burnley Hammer]

Surely if we're interested in taking a risk on Stephy Mavididi, who doesn't really look next level, we'd have to be interested in Origi who has far better experience in the Premier League?

[Tenbury]

This is spot on!

Don't understand how people can't see this and how important this month has been to the whole direction of the club.

Not getting players in has helped towards losing 6 points already which has blown our chances of top 4.

But not investing and sitting still will see other catch up and all the hard work going to waste.
It's the same old story, like when Payet was on fire, we had the chance to cement our position, invest and move further up, but no, we sat back, Payet (rightly so) got the hump and the momentum stopped, losing a world class player and sliding down the league again.

If we don't invest heavy now, then we will struggle to get top 7 and yes, Rice and Bowen will be gone because they want to be at clubs with ambition and want to challenge.

Then in the summer, Villa will continue to spend and will jump into that top 7 place, Newcastle will do a Chelski/City and be looking at top 4, clubs like Southampton, with new very rich owners will leapfrog us and even Everton will get their act together and spend big again and start climbing.

We have a huge opportunity to challenge for things if we invest and improve the team now. Or we could see that chance go, probably for ever and continue every season, mid table or trying to stay up, watching any talent that we produce, move on to better things.

Much as my sensible head suggests to me that Moyes is building steadily / you can't rush things/look how far we've come/etc, etc, I have to admit that my 'West Ham' head can see the strength in all the above. TBH, what was the point in getting an extra Kretin if he wasn't going to splash a bit of cash?
40 mill(not a busting amount TBH) would buy a couple of much needed additions, andat least show some kind of ambition.

[jastons]

I was thinking about Kretinski as well. Where has his money gone? Straight into the pockets of Gold and Sullivan?

Investing £40m should be 'nothing' to someone wanting to finish top 4 and win trophies.

[Garry]

I know nobody believes c&h but their still saying nobody is coming in and with 5 days to go I am starting to believe them and that will be a disaster

[Clacton-ammer]

Forget which ex pro said it but it always resonated with me, was from years back, think it might have been Alan Hansen.

When you are on top/doing well you must always buy one or two players, keeps the squad fresh for competition. I get totally though you need the right player(s).

[Billydinho]

This mentality of patience and to not worry about finishing 8th this year whilst being 4th up until 4 days ago is ludicrous.

It’s like waiting 10 minutes for a train when there’s one on the platform already.

[stammer]

Yeah but *apart* from that what are his weaknesses?

I am picturing him in a recliner in the penalty area D smoking a gauloise and swilling a brandy

[Long Shot]

I can talk more about Wayne Rooney for a couple of pages if it helps....

Too old (nearly as old as Digne for Christ sake!)
Would earn more than Yarmolenko
Comes from a farmers league

It's a no from me

[steveyrockstar]

Yeah but *apart* from that what are his weaknesses?

Isn't that just his World of Warcraft profile?

[paulhs1]

I think we all need to come to terms with the fact that Moyes likes to do his transfer business in the summer.

Any January business is to fill a void due to an injury or a sale. Lingard for Haller(even though it's not a perfect fit).

I dont think Moyes does anything wholesale in January. I think he has an eye on an Ogbonna replacement and 1 last go at Lingard

[steveyrockstar]

The, alleged, £60m Calvert Lewin? Sixty million reasons why that one didn't get debated long.

Tbh, I reckon Everton would want way more than £60m to sell Calvert Lewin to us. They'd see themselves as massively in competition with us and would want to rip us off as much possible, not strengthen us with their star striker.

[jastons]

Forget which ex pro said it but it always resonated with me, was from years back, think it might have been Alan Hansen.

When you are on top/doing well you must always buy one or two players, keeps the squad fresh for competition. I get totally though you need the right player(s).

Alex Ferguson did this.

[ashbanki]

I fear that the Lingard situation has/is compromising the last two windows.
We could not commit the money needed to get a striker that Moyes wanted, because CB was the priority and an amount was set aside for Lingard - once it was clear Lingard was not coming, we had £30m ( obvs not enough for Abraham) burning a hole and so we hastily moved for Vlasic!
I think Vlasic will come good, but the reality is that we would not have missed him and we should have had an extra £30m to add to the January budget - as it appears we only seem to want to loan players!!

[steveyrockstar]

Getting bored of reading the same couple of posters talking down every single striker that someone mentions on this thread

Bring out the Turtle!

[S-H]

Bring out the Turtle!

He's popped his head out for the last time.

[e20too]

This mentality of patience and to not worry about finishing 8th this year whilst being 4th up until 4 days ago is ludicrous.

It’s like waiting 10 minutes for a train when there’s one on the platform already.

I am a little surprised that despite all evidence from history there still many who presume our present track is inevitably one way in an upwards direction. You can’t presume that your present quality players will always be there as you take your time to add to them or indeed that any such carefully acquired player will be an instant success or a success at all. Then you have to add in injuries, lost of form or commitment of your present ‘crew’ or approaching retirement. Spurs spent some years hitting 5th place dithering and making little effort to move forward and after a brief dalliance have fallen back as exactly the above factors took hold and were well ahead of us in the process. Things can like the financial markers decline as well as go up and the lower we finish the more difficult to keep and attract t the talent we need and the need to overpay to do so which we can’t even afford now. We need to take opportunities as they arise as there is no guarantee they will always be there.

[johnnyb]

Forget which ex pro said it but it always resonated with me, was from years back, think it might have been Alan Hansen.

When you are on top/doing well you must always buy one or two players, keeps the squad fresh for competition. I get totally though you need the right player(s).

As I've said before, we have a history going back to the Greenwood days even, of not supplementing a good nucleus of players. Even Moore, Petes and Hurst were not able to take us on to better things in the late sixties when they had to play with a lot of dross. The main reason Peters moved on eventually when still at his peak. The way the 85/86 team were not built upon is another example. All down to shabby owners at the time. Same now.

[MB]

This mentality of patience and to not worry about finishing 8th this year whilst being 4th up until 4 days ago is ludicrous.

It’s like waiting 10 minutes for a train when there’s one on the platform already.

No it is like being on platform 8 waiting for the metro service which is 2 minutes away, seeing a fast train coming on platform 10 and dashing across on the off chance it saves you ten minutes. Maybe you do catch it but equally you could end up missing both trains which costs you 20 minutes.

It isn't a sure thing that building slowly is better, but given the games in hand teams have on us and the other gaps in our squad spending big this window is no guarantee of 4th either and once that money is spent it is gone.

Let's not make out that there aren't risks in both approaches.

[London Fields Hammer]

I think we all need to come to terms with the fact that Moyes likes to do his transfer business in the summer.

Any January business is to fill a void due to an injury or a sale. Lingard for Haller(even though it's not a perfect fit).

I dont think Moyes does anything wholesale in January. I think he has an eye on an Ogbonna replacement and 1 last go at Lingard

I think you are right. And by the summer we could be in 8th place in the league, knocked out of the EL in March etc with Rice and Bowan on their way out.
But making a bunch of dodgy deals right now won't solve that problem, so it's back to faith in Moyes.
I just fear we are missing out on a sliding doors moment...

[Doc H Ball]

I was thinking about Kretinski as well. Where has his money gone? Straight into the pockets of Gold and Sullivan?

Mostly in repaying their loans.