West Ham United boss David Moyes can help put the kibosh on a West Ham conspiracy theory at Anfield this evening.
West Ham have won just once in eight Premier League games since Moyes returned at the end of December.
When the Scot arrived, Pablo Fornals was arguably West Ham’s only in-form player.
In fact after a torrid start to life in East London, £24million Fornals had been one of West Ham’s best players in November and December.
Under Moyes, though, he has been consigned to a role on the bench and last time out at Manchester City he was left out of the squad entirely.
Fornals frozen out
What makes it all the more baffling is that Moyes – having returned to the club banging the drum for his “work hard” mantra – had publicly praised Fornals, telling everyone he had been hugely impressed with his work ethic for the team (whufc.com).
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Andriy Yarmolenko has been puzzling too.
The £18million Ukrainian has not played for months and very few updates have been given by the club about his injury situation.
Several reports recently have claimed West Ham are looking to offload the £115,000 per week attacker for a cut price fee (Football Insider).
Another to be cut from the team last time out was record £45million signing Sebastien Haller.
Haller has struggled this season in the lone striker role.
All the same dropping the forward was a surprising move given West Ham’s lack of alternatives.
Some will feel Haller deserved to be benched. Others blame the club for a lack of planning in their recruitment given Haller has only ever prospered as the second striker in a two throughout his career.
Conspiracy theory fueled by appearances coincidence?
Three big money signings, three unusual situations.
When Michail Antonio was substituted on 75 minutes with West Ham 3-1 up against Brighton, the most sensible and like-for-like replacement was surely Fornals?
Energy, work rate and the ability to make things happen on the break with Brighton pushing for a way back into the game.
Instead Moyes brought on the hapless Arthur Masuaku and switched to a 352 formation.
Inevitably Masuaku had his usual hand in West Ham conceding the goals that were to follow.
But the Fornals snub gave birth to a conspiracy theory about the Spaniard, that he is the new Javier Mascherano.
The Argentine was famously kept out of the West Ham team because playing a certain number of games would have triggered a multi-million pound payment (The Guardian).
And some West Ham fans believe something similar could be the case for Fornals too.
Clubs often build big transfer deals around payments being made after X number appearances or starts.
And one of the triggers is often set at 25 league appearances.
A look at the trio’s appearances plays into the conspiracy theory.
Pablo Fornals – 24 appearances. Andriy Yarmolenko – 24 appearances. Sebastien Haller? You guessed it 24 appearances.
Moyes can put the kibosh on conspiracies
Coincidence? Most probably.
And it is pure guesswork to suggest 25 appearances is one of the clauses to trigger the next instalment in these particular West Ham transfer deals.
But if West Ham have decided the three players in question are not going to help dig them out of trouble, then holding off playing them until they can be sold in the summer could save the club millions.
Of course many fans would argue all three could add something to the team in a bid to keep West Ham up.
But Moyes clearly doesn’t think so regarding Fornals. And his jury appears to be out on Haller too.
The facts are that these clauses are quite common in the make-up of modern day transfers.
And all three players reached 24 appearances before disappearing from the team for one reason or another.
Of course it is all just conjecture but the theory – particularly surrounding Fornals – has built momentum among some supporters.
Many fans think such theories are fanciful garbage.
Well Moyes can put the kibosh on the whole thing with his team selection tonight at Anfield.
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