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What exactly is West Ham's transfer strategy?
There’s a lot riding on this transfer window for West Ham. The club finds itself at a critical juncture of its modern existence. Many fans feel a sense of identity has been lost following the move to the London Stadium, but questions of character stretch beyond off the field matters. Certain things are also expected of West Ham on the pitch.
For generations, the Hammers have prided themselves on playing an attractive, dynamic brand of football built on the success of the club’s youth academy. The words ‘The Academy of Football’ used to hang over the tunnel at Upton Park as a badge of honour, of sorts.
The link between West Ham’s youth academy and the senior team was severed before leaving Upton Park, with captain Mark Upton the only squad member to have come through the ranks, but expectations over playing style are still harboured. There was little sign of any overarching style last season, meaning Slaven Bilic must imprint a personality on his side this summer.
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Big money has been spent, with Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic, Pablo Zabaleta and Javier Hernandez all signed ahead of the 2017/18 campaign. A flurry of activity over the past week has made the Hammers’ business a talking point, with some raising whether they might crack the top six this season.
But what is the strategy that links all who have arrived at the London Stadium so far this summer? Pedigree has undoubtedly been added to the Hammers’ squad, but what is the plan? Are West Ham signing big-name players purely for the sake of signing big-name players, or is there a blueprint they’re adhering to?
“I said at the end of last season that we don’t need squad players, but we need top players, the players who are going to improve the first eleven,” Bilic explained after the signing of Hernandez earlier this week. “I wanted quality players who will make a difference if everyone is fit. It’s a massive achievement – it’s not easy, but we have done it.
“You never know how it is going to click, but we have done well. It is important that we have done it early enough in the transfer window. The majority of that is done, so congratulations to the chairman, to the board. They have done brilliantly and people from other clubs have recognised it.”
Congratulations might be somewhat premature, though. Keep in mind how West Ham spent £70 million on transfers over the course of last season, with £21 million splurged on the signing of Andre Ayew. Robert Snodgrass was also added in January for a further £10 million, but at no point did Bilic appear to have a strategy in mind over how the two marquee signings would be used.
Ayew found the net just eight times in 32 appearances for the Hammers, with Snodgrass failing to impress to such an extent that he is now expected to leave the club just six months later after arriving. Of course, it’s not that Ayew and Snodgrass are bad players. It’s that there was no strategy behind their signing.
Bilic must now show that there is a holistic approach to the business done this summer, while keeping in mind the demands that are made of West Ham managers. He has the squad to ensure the Hammers at least move into the top half of the Premier League this season. The likes of Hart, Arnautovic, Zabaleta and Hernandez will certainly help in that regard.
So much in football comes down to identity, and West Ham currently offer a compelling case study. Once one of the most characterful clubs in the English game, now they aren’t so comfortable in their own skin. Their transfer strategy could be an illustration of that.
