Athletic journalists have cast huge doubts on West Ham’s big summer signings in a damning new transfer analysis.
There has been major excitement at West Ham after the club record spend in the summer window.
David Moyes signed eight players and spent over £170m as he oversees a big rebuild at West Ham following 10 departures.
But there is no doubt the arrivals of Brazil midfield star Lucas Paqueta and Italy striker Gianluca Scamacca have caught the imagination of West Ham fans the most.
Moyes has repeatedly asked for patience and time to get the likes of Paqueta and Scamacca bedded in.
The Scot’s methodology of drip-feeding new signings into the Premier League seems somewhat antiquated to many West Ham fans.
After all being thrown straight into the action in a new league hasn’t done Erling Haaland or Isak any harm.
And it didn’t do Dimitri Payet any harm in West Ham’s recent past.
Moyes did something similar with Nikola Vlasic and he seriously struggled to gather any confidence with each cameo apperance. But the Croatian has been thrust straight into the action by Torino in Serie A and has been a revelation.
Many pundits and fans of rival clubs declared West Ham had one of the best windows in the Premier League as Paqueta and Scamacca were joined by Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Maxwel Cornet, Thilo Kehrer and Emerson Palmieri.
Athletic journalists cast huge doubts on West Ham’s big summer signings in new transfer analysis
But now Athletic journalists have cast huge doubts on West Ham’s big summer signings in a new transfer analysis.
With the dust settled on the madness of a record Premier League spend over the summer, a group of The Athletic’s football writers have got together to give their transfer window verdicts.
They have had their say on the best, worst, most surprising and most exciting signings of the summer.
And doubts have been cast over both Paqueta and Scamacca.
Pol Ballus named Lucas Paqueta as a surprising signing as he doesn’t think the Brazilian will fit at West Ham under Moyes.
“Maybe he’ll thrive being backed by (Declan) Rice and (Tomas) Soucek at West Ham, but I’m just quite convinced he was ready to be a fun player in an elite team in the league,” Ballus said in The Athletic analysis.
Maram AlBaharna named Scamacca for the same reasons, feeling the Italian will struggle in Moyes’ Hammers side.
“Not because of his quality as a player — but because of the fit,” AlBaharna said of Scamacca.
“West Ham are focused on balls over the top and crosses. Where a player like Michail Antonio likes to run after the ball, Scamacca likes to use it.”
James Horncastle said he rates Paqueta but also doubts whether it will work for the ex Lyon man under Moyes at the London Stadium.
“In all seriousness, Lucas Paqueta (is the most surprising signing),” Horncastle said.
“Not because I don’t rate the player. I’m just surprised Moyes is seemingly entering a YOLO phase of his career where he doesn’t mind someone attempting a nutmeg outside his own box and losing the ball.”
There was one positive for West Ham with Jack Lang naming Paqueta as the most exciting signing of the summer.
But even he tempered that by also casting doubts over whether the move will work out.
“I have no idea whether he’ll be a good fit for David Moyes’ West Ham — my gut instinct is that he probably won’t — but Lucas Paqueta is exactly my kind of player,” Lang said.
“Through balls, nutmegs, stupid little dances when he scores… yes, please.”
Let’s hope Moyes, Paqueta and Scamacca prove them all wrong.