West Ham United boss David Moyes needs to make several signings in key areas this summer but faces a big problem.
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The Hammers are desperately in need of at least one striker – if not two – and realistically two central midfielders as a bare minimum.
West Ham fans have seen just how long it takes the club to get certain deals over the line in the past.
‘Dithering Dave’ facing big problem to get signings over the line this summer
Moyes is also known for taking his time over any new signings. So much so he earned the moniker ‘dithering Dave’ after missing out on several players during his time at Everton.
West Ham failed to replace Sebastien Haller in the January window.
Moyes admitted the club wasn’t well enough prepared after offloading Haller to Ajax for £20million.
Well the Scot must have his transfer plans well prepared if West Ham have any hope of a successful summer window.
That’s because he has just 83 days to make signings. And 30 of those will be swallowed up by the postponed Euro 2020 Championships and Copa America.
Window open for 83 days but huge chunk eaten up by major tournaments and the ripple effect
The summer window opens on June 9th – just two days before both the Euros and Copa America kick off on June 11th.
Those tournaments end of July 11th and 10th respectively.
Major tournament summers tend to result in quiet transfer windows due to the logistics and time constraints involved.
Players involved in tournament football then have to have their summer breaks once it is over, making the window of opportunity ever smaller.
Moyes has just over six weeks to complete any business once the summer tournaments end. And that’s not taking into account summer breaks.
West Ham’s priority signing has to be a striker or two.
West Ham must have firm plans – and backups – in place and act fast, no excuses
The good news is that it seems none of the supposed five strikers on Moyes’s shortlist – Abdallah Sima, Youssef En-Nesyri, Adam Armstrong, Ivan Toney and Tammy Abraham – will be involved in summer football.
But a shrunken window represents a real problem for a club like West Ham. The Hammers have a history of struggling to get deals over the line.
So Moyes must have all his plans – and backup plans – in place.
And there has to be a firm understanding with owners David Sullivan and David Gold over the importance of getting deals done quickly.
West Ham’s owners can’t afford to test the water with derisory bids. Or use delay tactics. Or simply scattergun the market as they have been known to do in the past.
Moyes must identify the players he wants and a plan B and C if necessary.
And the moment the window opens on June 9th, West Ham have to be ready to pounce.
The difficulty of a summer window around major tournaments provides an easy excuse for a lack of activity.
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