West Ham’s lack of guile in the transfer market hurting squad

West Ham look set to enter the season with no transfer acquisitions. It’s a sign of poor market understanding that we’re in such a strange position.

West Ham are set for a very low spend this transfer window, with the board pointing at previous big investments leaving the bank pretty empty at this current time. And to be fair, we’ve spent a fair amount in previous years. But we wouldn’t be in such a big hole if the money had been spent in a more targeted fashion, rather than focusing on high-level details.

What do I mean by targeted? We needed a striker, and we got Sebastien Haller. We needed a winger, so we got Felipe Anderson. Surely that’s what we’re after? Well, if you’re playing Fifa, yes. You sign players that fit the roles you’re after and everyone plays well together wonderful stuff. But in real life, there’s a lot that differentiates one player from another, even in the same role. And it’s a lack of appreciation for that detail that means West Ham are in the situation where we need to sell to buy.

When we signed Anderson I think a lot of the fan base was excited, even if there was the usual worry about inconsistencies and work rate that come whenever the Hammers sign a player with flair. But the biggest issue with the Anderson signing, in my opinion, was our left-back option.

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Both Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku struggle defensively without help, and neither has been particularly adept at putting in useful crosses in recent seasons. So when Anderson cuts inside onto his favoured right foot, space opens down the left to be occupied by an ineffectual crosser of the ball. And then when he fails to cover back, we’re hopelessly exposed.

Whilst Ryan Fredericks on the right hasn’t fared much better than Cresswell himself, Jarrod Bowen‘s work rate on that side means he usually has help in defensive areas. On top of that, Fredericks has his pace in attack which means he needs watching, so Bowen’s inside runs are more effective than Anderson’s on the right. And up top, we replaced a one-man wrecking ball in the form of Marko Arnautovic with a man who played in a two striker system. I don’t think I really need to spell that one out.

So now we’re stuck paying the instalments on players that didn’t fit the makeup of our squad, and we can’t upgrade where we desperately need to. But also the lack of consideration for where value can be found, namely leagues outside the usual top 5, and lower leagues is a little concerning.

Given how poorly Cresswell is performing, picking up a decent left-back from the Belgian or Dutch leagues, given they usually have less resistance financially, couldn’t be a bad shout? But we seem desperate to purchase players that cost more than their market value rather than what will boost us. And with the board in charge of our dealings, we’re going to be stuck for a while paying for their poor decisions.