West Ham Fan View: What is wrong with the Hammers' transfer strategy?

Following a very disappointing start to the season, we all hoped and expected that West Ham would be active when the January transfer window opened but what we did not expect was the approach that the club has taken. Well actually, maybe we did.

Many West Ham fans have not forgotten that despite signing eleven players in the summer transfer window, we did miss out on big players. We spent the majority of the window chasing a big-name striker and had bids for both Michy Batshuayi and Alexandre Lacazette rejected. Yes, we would have loved to see either of these players sign for the club but it was always extremely unlikely given their status and the other clubs that were interested in signing them.

We were angered at the club for (seemingly) not moving on to other targets quickly enough or having an effective back-up plan which would have allowed us to sign a top-quality striker should the bids for Batshuayi and Lacazette failed. As we all know, we failed to do that and this has contributed to our poor form this season. There were hopes that we learnt from last summer’s mistakes and that we could have an effective transfer window this time around but once again, many fans are angered. Bids have been placed, and rejected, for Jermain Defoe, Robert Snodgrass and Brentford’s Scott Hogan so far and it is expected that more bids will be placed throughout the window.

So why are fans so angry at the club? Well, both Sunderland and Hull are fighting relegation and they are very likely to be fighting relegation for the rest of the season. Defoe and Snodgrass have undoubtedly been the best players for their respective clubs this season and if either of these clubs do not get relegated, it will be because they kept these players. Defoe is as important to Sunderland as Lionel Messi is to Barcelona. Looking at the position that both Sunderland and Hull are in, as fans, we knew that Defoe and Snodgrass were unattainable yet the club still went in for them.

But that is not the only problem, let’s look at what we offered for both Defoe and Snodgrass with a £6m and £3m bid being placed respectively. With transfer fees being as inflated as they are right now, neither offer was never going to be accepted. Even if Sunderland and Hull were not battling relegation, the offer would still be too low. Last season, Aston Villa received £66.2m from prize money and they finished last in the Premier League!* Should Sunderland and Hull sell Defoe and Snodgrass, their slim chance of survival may be completely gone thereby meaning that they will miss out on a guaranteed £65.8m next season just for being in the Premier League. Given this, it is clear that these clubs were never going to sell for £6m and £3m when Defoe and Snodgrass play a crucial role in potentially bringing in over £60m for their respective clubs next season.

Our transfer strategy in the past year has been poor and its effect can be seen in our performances this season. Should we not make better decisions in the transfer market, it won’t be too long before we face a real threat of being relegated from the Premier League.

* For breakdown of prize money, see http://www.totalsportek.com/football/premier-league-prize-money-table-2015/.