The odds are that we will sign Boateng from Pompey and Petrov from Man City, and both would represent good business in my opinion, transforming an impotent midfield into a unit with the potential to create and score goals. Of course, there are reservations about both. Petrov's injury problems are well documented and Boateng is not the most stable in terms of temperament, but I would be happy to see both in our squad.
But who else can we expect to see arrive? Anybody available on a free seems to be linked with us and I only have to mention Tristan and Mido to highlight the dangers of a "mop up the slops" strategy. Jimenez and Lopez, meanwhile, show that loan deals are not usually the solution to a team's problems. True Di Michele, Ilan and Ilunga worked out slightly better but, to get quality, you have to invest hard cash.
Hopefully, we can exploit the needs of the big boys to strengthen their squads by squeezing good money for the sale of our dubious "blue chip assets". The stock of Upson, Green, Cole, Diamanti, Behrami and Ilunga must surely have dropped over the course of a terrible season, but with Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Unreal City and Villa all desperate to bolster their squads for next season, there could be a number of counter bids for our "top" players. The question then, is who we buy as replacements.
Well Chelsea and Man City will be moving on players in the summer and whilst the Joe Coles and Carlos Tevezes will sadly be out of our league, there might be two or three rejects we could be in with a chance of signing. The important thing is to have a team shape in mind and to sign players to service that shape, something Zola, Nani and Duxbury failed completely to do - leaving us with no first choice right back, no wide players with pace, no reserve left back and no alternatives up front.
It looks like being a summer of comings and goings. Fans will play Football Manager on the blogs, suggesting all sorts of fanciful signings, but we have to hope that the club's management team are more realistic. I will be happy if I can look at the squad in late July and think, yep, every position is reasonably well covered. That was not the case last July. In fact it was not the case at any point in the season!
I don't expect great things next season but we will have to be better equipped to stay up than we were this. Cardiff and Blackpool are playing a Play Off Final for the right to be relegated next May and I don't expect West Brom to survive either. Wolves, Newcastle and Wigan will all struggle too, and Fulham may come back to earth with a bump if Woy leaves, but the Premiership will be stronger next season overall, unless Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool are simply resigned to Chelsea domination.
Interesting times and we need a manager appointed quickly to ensure we are not left behind at the starting gate.
I would like to get Belhadjh from pompey as he would do a great job on the left for us.
ReplyDeleteI think the one good thing to come out of all this is that now that the porn barons are going to get their own manager in, they'll have to do the opposite to what they did with Zola and support him. Particularly when it comes to the financial aspect as they will desperately need to improve the team so the manager can be successful therefore strengthening their argument that they were right in sacking Zola. Though our club will benefit in the short term, they will be back to their tricks of squeezing money out of everything though once this period passes and things settle down. It's just that all their mouth opening of the recent past means they have to now walk the walk. Will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteZola was brought in under Gianluca Nani, whose role it was to find and source players. Zola was just first team coach he did not source the players.
ReplyDeleteThis sort of system always fails and what West Ham need is an old style manager in the Redknapp mould who not only coaches the first team but is also able to ask for certain players and have final say on who comes in.
Obivousy the money men will do the actual deals but the manager needs some involvement on prioritising players.
Under Zola the squad become really unbalanced, this wasn't Zola's fault but the management system in place.
So lets get a proven old school manager in who can wheel and deal his way to decent cost.
The last thing we need is "Football Manager" type player selection by Directors of the club.
So Avram Grant could fit the bill, after all he has been in both the director of football and manager role.
What is Harry Redknapp or Roy Hodgson up to these days?
Id love to get O'hara in as he is a far better player than Kovac who s just a average player no better. O'haras injury will heal as well and he is young engish and has a very fit bird who we can all stare at on matchdays (not you HF you wont be at the games obviously).
ReplyDeleteDont forget Sidney Govou! Possibly coming in for free from Lyon.
ReplyDeleteIf we do sign all these players (pretty unlikely) we could have a midfield next season of:
Govou...Boateng...Parker...Petrov
That would be amazing and still cost very little.
But we go through this every year and hardly ever sign the players we think.
By the way, i only noticed the Petrov story in NOTW. Have you seen or heard it anywhere else to suggest it's a go-er?
Beckford, Boyd, James are all on free's this summer, I think all three could do a job for us.
ReplyDeletePetrov story was running before we played Man City.
ReplyDeletewhats the petrov story??
ReplyDelete