West Ham United have spent big but sit bottom of the Premier League table so are they about to suffer the same fate as Queens Park Rangers?
West Ham United fans wanted to see big investment in their squad and a marquee appointment in the dugout. In that sense, they got what they asked for.
The Hammers spent over £100 million on new talent this summer, including the likes of Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Issa Diop and Jack Wilshere, all of whom appeared to be upgrades on those who went before.
The appointment of Manuel Pellegrini, meanwhile, looked to be a real coup. In stark contrast to the pragmatic David Moyes or the naïve Slaven Bilic, Pellegrini is one of the most respected coaches in world football and led Manchester City to the Premier League title as recently as 2014.
So far, however, the expected improvements are nowhere to be seen. A last-gasp 1-0 defeat at home to newly promoted Wolves on Saturday means West Ham are bottom of the table heading into the season’s first international break, picking up a grand total of zero points from a possible 12.
And the big-spending flops are already earning comparisons with that infamous Queens Park Rangers’ side of 2012/13, a team that spent big on appointing Harry Redknapp, signing the likes of Chris Samba, Park Ji-Sung, Julio Cesar and Jose Bosingwa on big wages only to finish 20th.
There are certainly similarities. The test for Pellegrini now is to ensure this gifted side reaches its potential and does not wilt under the rising pressure.
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