Claret and Hugh predict that when the January transfer window opens, West Ham United will, at most, be limited to the loan market.
Reliable Hammers journalists report on October 19 that the East Londoners will only be looking at loan options due to the amount of money invested during the summer, but a striker is still needed.
Following his unsuccessful summer transfer, West Ham has been linked to a return move for Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City and Harry Maguire of Manchester United (TEAMTalk, October 18). However, Claret & Hugh report that those rumors are unfounded.
“The reality at West Ham this season, however, is that we are more or less okay beyond the striker situation and, given the money spent in the summer, we will be at best in the loan market,” they said.
“With the midfield we have available, Maguire is a no-no and Phillips is not needed, so we would all be better off ignoring the headline-hungry sites that are trashing the recycled content we have been seeing lately!”
The Hammers can be satisfied with their summer business, and thus far, it’s evident that all of them—especially James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez—are leaving some sort of mark.
Although Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos did not have the quick starts they had hoped for after making their high-profile acquisitions during the summer, Moyes is wise to be patient with them.
But both players have the necessary mindset and attributes to leave an impact, much like Ward-Prowse, which emphasizes the outstanding business decisions made by Moyes and Tim Steidten shortly after Declan Rice’s passing.
Despite the fact that the Irons currently seem like the whole deal, Moyes will be in dire need of a consistent goal scorer considering the inconsistent play of Danny Ings and Michail Antonio.
When he signed in January, the latter seemed like the ideal addition. However, that transfer hasn’t worked out, so if the Hammers have any extra money in January, they might try to sign a fantastic goal scorer.
But in contrast to the summer, obtaining a top-tier number nine in the winter is quite difficult. This is a difficult challenge, therefore Moyes could have to make due with what he has until the summer.
