It’s no secret that West Ham fans often finish the transfer window feeling envious of their rivals’ acquisitions and then question the board for not investing in the squad. However, in David Moyes’ second stint at the club, this January transfer window has left the fans feeling overall content with their smart business in the recent window.
“He spends the money as if it’s his own” Says Roshane, “It’s always good to see that, finding players that no-ones heard of, that go on and do well in the end, it’s great management, he’s making it work, not signing big names for big money, he’s working well with what he has, and it’s great management, it really is.
It’s a rarity nowadays” Explains Roshane, “even in covid, teams are still spending big on players” but, after the summer and now winter window, it’s clear Moyes is looking to spend little and aim big. “Moyes said, we don’t have to do that, we’re going to do things differently, we’re going to wait until the right players become available, see our position and evaluate from there”.
Breathing new life into the squad
Perhaps the biggest talking point of West Ham’s relatively busy window was their acquisition of Jesse Lingard. Lingard has found it hard of late to get a regular run in the Manchester United team, especially after they signed Bruno Fernandes last January. Moyes has previously worked with Lingard during his brief stint as United manager many years ago. Roshane wasted no time speaking about Lingard’s form since signing for the Hammers. “Lingard’s been absolutely brilliant since he’s arrived on loan, scored three goals in a month” And it’s not just his playing ability that has been a massive boost since his arrival.
“You think about his goal against Tottenham, where Fornal’s pretending to play the guitar, Declan Rice playing the drums. It was a nice, synchronised celebration and I did not see one synchronised celebration last season, not one”. So, despite his exploits on the pitch, it seems the arrival of Lingard has had a massive morale boost to the squad and has bought a real unity within the dressing room.
And, it’s no wonder Lingard has been prolific since his arrival, with club captain Mark Noble and Rice doing all they can to settle him in around the area.
New striker not needed
A controversy among fans was to turn down the offer for a striker, after selling record-signing Sebastian Haller to Ajax just 18-months after costing a reported £45 million. The club were linked with Diego Costa and Bournemouth’s Josh King but opted to not replace Haller. “You don’t want a £35 million, £40 million player coming in and upsetting the morale, he’s got (Said) Benrahma, Michail Antonio, Jesse Lingard, they can all play there”
Roshane’s first reaction was that Haller had to be replaced. “Initially I was like, you have to bring in a striker. You know, Antonio’s hamstring normally doesn’t last. Great player, but you know what I mean, not reliable to play 38 games a season. And another hamstring injury could potentially derail their season”.
Bargains of the season?
Signings that definitely went under the radar was West Ham’s summer acquisitions of Tomáš Souček and Vladimir Coufal. Souček and Coufal were both bought from Slavia Prague in the summer and have been key figures in West Ham’s extraordinary season. “He (Souček) has been amazing, like really good, probably the best signing that West Ham have made in the past ten years if I’m being honest, he’s been that good”. The Czech midfielder has been in fine form this season, finding the net eight times, proving a fantastic aerial threat from set pieces and looks set to reach double figures despite operating as a defensive midfielder.
Over the years West Ham have lacked a real energy in the middle of the park, opting for more technical players such as Manuel Lanzilni, Mark Noble and Dimitri Payet, and with the emergence of Declan Rice, Souček looks to be the perfect partner. “The guy just runs; he’d run a marathon every day if he could! What an impact he’s made as the box-to-box midfielder. Souček and Rice are the best midfield duo in the premier league”.
Coufal has fallen slightly under the radar compared to his Czech compatriot, having missed the first few games he’s gone on to make the right-back position his own and with Souček, Rice, and Antonio grabbing the headlines he’s gone under the radar. “In terms of Coufal, oh my goodness, what a player he is, he’s definitely the bargain of the season for sure” Coufal joined the Hammers for just £5 million, with the 28-year-old having a tremendous season.
Proving how well the scouting has been at West Ham, Roshane explains that they were initially linked with Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest, with Moyes really keen to sign a right-back. “Prior to Coufal joining, West Ham were linked with Matty Cash”. Cash eventually joined Aston Villa for a reported £18 million, almost four times the price of Coufal. “If you were to compare the two, Coufal is definitely having the better season”
Always looking to improve
“The best thing about him (Coufal) is he’s always wanting to do more, always looking to improve. When the players have a day off, he was at the training ground, he didn’t have to be, he could have been sitting at home, chilling with his wife but no he was training”.
This newfound attitude has spread throughout the squad too. “Another one was Andriy Yarmolenko, on their days off he too joins Coufal and Souček on the training ground”
Said Benrahma’s loan deal was converted into a permanent from Championship promotion hopeful’s Brentford. The deal was a formality as the transfer was set to be made permanent at the end of this season, with West Ham just advancing the deal. Moyes has a history of buying players from the Championship, as Roshane explains. “If you look at Moyes at Everton, with Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, John Stones, they’ve all come from the Championship”.
Despite Benrahma lighting up the Championship with Brentford, Moyes has taken his time to get him in to the squad, ensuring he knows how to play for West Ham. “Sometimes when there’s the chance to cross the ball, he’ll do a step over instead. With him (Benrahma) less is definitely more. But again, I’ve been happy with him”.
New era for the Hammers
The incomings over the last two transfer windows have made West Ham compete for Europe, and where the fans believe the club should be operating. “They haven’t done well recently, but this is great to see right now, I feel like this is not a one-off, this is something what can happen year in year out and this is a feeling West Ham fans can get used to”.
