Finally someone at West Ham United is talking sense over transfers.
For too long West Ham have lacked any kind of cohesive, coherent recruitment methodology or philosophy.
From co-owner David Sullivan using favoured agents to help him lure players to West Ham. To taking a step back and appointing a director of football to head up recruitment instead.
Hammers fans – thousands of whom protested against the owners before Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Everton – are sick of seeing the club lurch from the sublime to the ridiculous with one or two injuries or a couple of bad results.
And it all comes back to the club’s shambolic approach to transfers.
This month for example West Ham are in desperate need of new recruits.
Scattergun, incoherent West Ham transfer circus
They shouldn’t be. The club comfortably finished midtable last season so had plenty of time to plan their transfers in the summer.
But a paltry £25million net spend left the West Ham squad lopsided and sorely lacking in depth and quality.
It is often said there are no good deals in the January window. Desperate times often lead to desperate decisions.
And if reports are to be believed West Ham have no money to spend this month.
That has enraged supporters further given their Premier League lives are at stake.
But finally someone at West Ham is talking sense when it comes to recruitment thanks to David Moyes.
Speaking after the draw with Everton Moyes made it clear he wants to put a stop to the hamster wheel of scattergun recruitment at West Ham.
Moyes finally brings some much-needed sense to recruitment
“I’d like to be in a position where we could bring in players who we think can be here for the long-term, or if it is, we can get people who can give us a quick fix and help us out in the position we’re in, that would be ideal as well,” Moyes told whufc.com.
“To get both of them isn’t that easy, but I think if the right players come along we’ll certainly try and do it, and we want to give the West Ham supporters something fresh and new, but the big thing is to make sure we have a team every week giving us a level of performance.
“But also, what I don’t want to do is bring in players that are not going to have an impact on the team (Football London).
“They have to have an impact on the team now, or buying a player that will be here for the next three, four, five years, longevity and develop into a top player.
“To get one who is in between that, a top player in the Premier League, is difficult. I don’t want to take players other teams don’t want.”
Spot on Scot must be allowed to implement transfer policy befitting a Premier League club
Moyes is absolutely spot on. More planning and foresight is needed.
Take for example, West Ham’s midfield situation. Most well run football clubs will identify a number of players for a position.
Those players will be monitored over a period to see if they fit the team, style and what is needed.
Approaches are made to clubs to see if they are interested in selling and at what price.
The club would then be able to say we are going to sign him and he will be our central midfielder – or right-back or whatever position it is – for the next five years.
West Ham have needed a box-to-box midfielder for years. So when they allowed Cheikhou Kouyate and Edimilson Fernandes to leave many fans assumed the kind of sensible, coherent recruitment protocol listed above was in motion.
Surely young, powerful, all-action midfielder was on the way in? No.
Surely then when Pedro Obiang – who at least boasted decent energy and good passing skills – was sold in the summer that much-needed midfielder would finally be arriving? No.
Instead West Ham have inexplicably muddled through another torrid season being ludicrously over-reliant on young Declan Rice and an ageing, immobile Mark Noble with only flop Carlos Sanchez as back-up – if you can even call him that.
It is farcical that a Premier League club is being run in such a way. And it sounds like Moyes agrees.
Hopefully he will be the man to change it.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
