Fans fear West Ham ‘missed the boat’ with £15m ace as Liverpool reports emerge

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To say the West Ham United faithful are slightly pessimistic when it comes to their chances of signing a £15 million ace on the radars of Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester City would be an understatement.

‘Hmm, us or Liverpool?’, one supporter asks, with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

And, in truth, the fan in question probably has a point.

Even if West Ham United were not stumbling around towards the bottom of the Premier League table, fighting off competition from clubs challenging at the top – while boasting managers renowned for turning potential into elite-level performances – would be quite the challenge.

And while Hammers News’ chief football correspondent Graeme Bailey believes that Charlie Cresswell could still be available for a bargain fee of £15 million, that around half of England’s top flight are now hot on his heels does suggest that West Ham may have missed the boat somewhat.

Though, in their defence, they did try. Reportedly.

According to Alan Nixon, West Ham tried to sign ex-Leeds prospect Cresswell on loan, with a £13 million purchase clause included as part of the arrangement. But while Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse had little interest in selling so late in the window, it should be said that Cresswell had little interest in leaving French soil either.

Whether he displays the same loyalty should Manchester City or Liverpool come calling, well, that remains to be seen.

West Ham United fans fear they have ‘missed the boat’ with Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell

Bailey, speaking to TBR Football, reports that West Ham are very much still in the race. But with Everton, Brentford, Brighton, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace now also in contention, plus the aforementioned title challengers from the north west, pole position has surely been lost.

“No chance we sign him. Missed the boat in the summer,” one supporter writes on X.

“Should’ve already gone for him in the summer. If Nuno was in [for] pre-season, we’d have had him, I’m sure. As soon as Nayef [Aguerd] went, then was the time. So poor. The fanbase could do as good a job at sniffing players out,” another says.

“We’d be last of every team listed without question.”

“Should have battled for him in the summer when we had a free run at him.”

“We could have got him [in the summer] window when no one else was interested.”

“We’ve let everyone else come in for him.”

“Should have got him in the summer. We will miss out now.”

“No chance he comes to us over like Palace or Everton.”

“Another would have, could have, should have but didn’t. Shambles.”

Fan fury at David Sullivan as Cresswell explains his Ligue 1 stay

This is not the first time, and surely not the last, that the West Ham fans have hit out at the board regarding transfer policy and an apparent lack of ambition in the market.

That Nuno spent his press conference pleading with the supporters to be in full voice come kick-off against Brentford on Monday night, rather than taking part in a planned boycott against David Sullivan and Karren Brady, speaks volumes about the disconnect between the fanbase and the boardroom.

And though the London Stadium bosses would obviously argue that they did indeed try to bring Cresswell to the capital – presuming the reports of an August bid were true – why did they leave it until so late in the window to make a move?

Furthermore, why not just stump up the relatively low fee Toulouse wanted, rather than messing about with a loan-to-buy deal which was never likely to go down particularly well?

“It’s the life of a footballer during the transfer window,” Cresswell told La Depeche shortly after the summer came to an end. “I heard about this interest, which came from several places in Europe.

“I tried not to pay too much attention to it, and to stay focused on what I’m doing here in Toulouse, training hard, giving my all. In the end, I’m still here and that’s great. This club gave me an opportunity to prove my worth last season so, as long as I play for TFC, I will do it 100 per cent.

“I don’t want to go into the details of what happened during the transfer window. But I can tell you that I didn’t need any convincing to stay.

“I had a great season, I met great people, both at the club and outside. Last season, I felt that I was improving every week, until the summer and this European Under-21 title with England, which was one of the greatest experiences of my life.”