West Ham United have gone out of their way to clear up who was behind the Flynn Downes signing after Mark Warburton talk.
A rare thing has happened in the world of West Ham in the last 48 hours.
Because the Hammers have managed to get a transfer deal done and dusted quickly and efficiently for a top young player.
West Ham announced the capture of Hammers-supporting midfield ace Downes from Swansea City last night.
Downes had looked set to join London rivals Crystal Palace but West Ham swooped to steal him from under Patrick Vieira’s nose at the 11th hour.
There has been talk in West Ham circles that new assistant coach Mark Warburton had a big influence on targeting Downes and getting the deal done.
The Swansea Independent highlighted the Warburton Wasserman link when claiming it was the reason West Ham beat Crystal Palace to their client Downes.
Interestingly The Swansea Independent also claims Warburton has been a big fan of Downes for some time and wanted to bring him to former club QPR.
The suggestion was that Warburton – who has a relationship with West Ham boss Moyes which goes back over a decade – may be having an instant impact on recruitment.
But West Ham have moved to clear up who was behind the Downes signing after the Warburton talk.
In the Downes announcement, West Ham took the rather unusual step of declaring that Moyes was the one who scouted and identified the midfielder as his third signing of the summer.
“Downes has been earmarked by manager David Moyes as a player with the potential to shine at Premier League level…” West Ham said on the club’s official website.
“Moyes, who has taken an active role in Downes’ scouting and recruitment, will give the player time to settle into his new surroundings and is hopeful he can join the long list of EFL Championship players he has helped make the step up to the Premier League.”
Moyes has always insisted he is in full control of West Ham’s recruitment.
And on the whole the Scot has got it right more often than not. The considered, diligent approach can be frustrating.
But in the long run, taking his time to decide whether a player will add to what West Ham have – on and off the pitch – is paying dividends.
Perhaps the Warburton influence helped swing the transfer in West Ham’s direction.
But as a lifelong Hammer, Downes would not have taken much convincing.
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