‘I know I need more Dimitri Payets because I have to change the way West Ham play’ is the message from David Moyes in the midst of his Hammers rebuild.
Well aware several departures – many of them long overdue – were on the horizon this summer, Moyes has been clear for several months that he faces a major test to rebuild and rejuvenate the Premier League’s second oldest squad.
Five very encouraging quality signings have arrived but at least another four or five are needed if West Ham do intend – as is being reported – to offload the likes of Issa Diop, Nikola Vlasic and Said Benrahma.
Moyes has rebuilt West Ham into a hard-working, organised team that no side enjoys facing.
But West Ham were always going to find themselves at a crossroads this summer.
Gone are the days of Moyes’ Hammers side blowing half the league away with breathtaking counter attacks.
The signs have been there for some time that West Ham have not so much been figured out, but rather that they have become a marked team.
A team most opposition are wary of and therefore a team managers now set up entirely differently against.
Man City’s 2-0 win in the season opener at the London Stadium on Sunday was a walk in the park.
But it says everything about how far West Ham have come that Pep Guardiola completely changed his tactics to try and outwit the east Londoners, who had given them a brilliant game in the final home match of last season.
For Moyes this rebuild goes way beyond numbers and bodies in the squad.
It is not just the depth and average age of the team that is of concern to the Scot.
David Moyes: I know I need more Dimitri Payets because I have to change the way West Ham play
In an interview with Graham Hunter, Moyes recognises he must now start adding true class and guile to his team of grafters if West Ham are going to continue to challenge the top six and grow.
‘I know I need more Dimitri Payets because I have to change the way West Ham play’ Moyes says as he faces perhaps the biggest test since the relegation battle which greeted his return to the London Stadium.
“I think first of all most of the people want honesty, they want honest, committed, hard-working players,” Moyes told Graham Hunter.
“Then what they want is ‘hey can you get us some talented flair players’.
“I mean West Ham have had (Dimitri) Payet for example over the years, they’ve had some unbelievable, talented players. But you know if you try to bring in all the talent too quick and you don’t have the foundations and you haven’t done the ground work and you haven’t got the sort of labourers there who are going to help them (it won’t work).
“I think West Ham tried to do that a couple of years ago. I thought they brought in a lot of really good talent but I don’t know if they had the real foundations down…
“I actually think now we’ve got a good enough team to play with a bit of flair, a bit of style. A year ago, our counter attack play was unbelievable.
“What we’ve found now is teams have actually dropped off and we can’t, our counter attack is not so good.
“So we’re having to find a way of being a better footballing team. So all these things are tests for us all you know, for coaches and for the players.”
Concluding the interview Moyes said ‘yes, that’s right’ when it was suggested he needs those ‘jack in the box’ players who can make things happen when teams are sat defending deep against the Hammers.
Moyes has tried it with the likes of Said Benrahma and Nikola Vlasic. But while both are talented, it may just be West Ham have reached such a level where they are not quite good enough to make that all important difference.
Imagine for a moment putting a prime Payet into this West Ham team Moyes has built. It is a mouthwatering prospect. And by the same token the likes of Benrahma and Vlasic simply cannot hold a candle to the Frenchman.
The problem for Moyes is that those magicians – like Payet – cost big money unless you can identify them before they become big names. Even then clubs want top dollar for potential.
And the jury is still out on whether West Ham’s owners are willing or able to do those kind of deals.
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