West Ham United lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
West Ham United fans would be forgiven for feeling that they’re following the same script every summer; a sense of optimism about their transfer window trolley dash, but ultimately being served up a product well short of its billing.
The Hammers started slowly in each of the last two seasons, but this time was supposed to be different. A renowned manager was appointed in Manuel Pellegrini, and there was a much-needed departure from a recent scattergun approach in the market, which often featured paying over the odds for players who could only go downhill.
And yet, West Ham find themselves staring at another poor start. A 4-0 thumping at Liverpool was disappointing if expected, but losing 2-1 to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon – having been 1-0 up at half time – has set alarm bells ringing.
It was another tepid display from West Ham at the London Stadium, and Pellegrini has big decisions to make ahead of next weekend’s trip to face Arsenal, with two summer signings no doubt baffled by their exclusion.
Forward Andriy Yarmolenko has been left on the bench twice and played just 46 minutes across two substitute appearances, whilst defender Issa Diop hasn’t appeared at all yet in surprise decisions.
The pair cost a combined £40million this summer, and whilst some may push the line of an integration period, the likes of Fabian Balbuena and Felipe Anderson have been thrown straight into starting action.
Diop has seen the likes of Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna struggle at the back whilst he kicks his heels, and the Frenchman was viewed as a defensive solution for the Hammers, possessing great size and composure at the back, which saw him become a star with Toulouse.
Diop should really be in the side ahead of either Balbuena or Ogbonna, given their poor displays against Bournemouth, whilst Yarmolenko – a proven winger with a record of scoring goals over the course of his career – has surprisingly been overlooked in favour of Robert Snodgrass, a player who ended last season in the Championship having failed to impress with the Hammers in 2017.
It’s time for Pellegrini to back his big-money signings in Diop and Yarmolenko, with the new arrivals surely left as confused by their exclusions as the fans are, and will be desperate to get on the pitch in a bid to prevent West Ham from really enduring a slump to open the season.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
