David Gold lifts the lid on implications of West Ham’s summer transfer business

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West Ham United co-owner David Gold has lifted the lid on the difficulties created by the club’s summer transfer business.

The Hammers have signed five players so far this summer with Pablo Zabaleta, Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and young prospect Sead Haksabanovic arriving in East London.

Hernandez and Arnautovic have arrived on big pay packets while the Austrian is – for the timebeing at least – the club’s record signing.

Slaven Bilic‘s recruitment seems to have been markedly improved after some disastrous business last season.

As well as the signings West Ham have thus far managed to hold on to their key players and ship out many of the flops signed last summer.

Michail Antonio, Angelo Ogbonna and Pedro Obiang have all signed new contracts while fans will be hoping the Hammers can tie key playmaker Manuel Lanzini down to a new long-term deal with Liverpool rumoured to be sniffing around.

While Gold has stated he is happy with the business the club has done, he told BBC Five Live Sport that it has given the club a new headache with his current squad.

“It’s the marketplace either you do (pay the money and wages) or you don’t get the players, it’s difficult,” Gold told Five Live Sport.

“But if you want to progress and if you want to compete – and we do – we’re ambitious but at the same time you’ve got to be very careful that you balance the books.

“What you have to do is then re-negotiate with your best players and you have to reassess their contracts because you can’t leave them sitting there feeling bitter that a new player that has come in is being paid more than him and he believes he’s better than him. It’s difficult but that’s what you have to do.”

Gold’s comments explain the club’s decision to hand new terms to players like Antonio and Obiang who still had a number of years left to run.

West Ham will also attempt to do the same thing with Lanzini despite only signing him permanently last summer.

Arnautovic will be quickly eclipsed as the Hammers’ record buy if the club gets their £35 million move for William Carvalho over the line before the window closes.