West Ham United’s owners David Sullivan and David Gold had praise ringing in their ears over their transfer dealings this summer, but is it misplaced?
The Hammers were one of the first to do business this summer with the signing of experienced defender Pablo Zabaleta from Manchester City.
Nearly two months passed since his arrival with no further recruits and the club’s fans were not happy.
But Slaven Bilic and the club’s owners were hailed by pundits and fans alike as they pulled off three deals in the shape of Joe Hart, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez.
Javier Hernandez
They have since added young prospect Sead Haksabanovic to the squad as the season kicks off with a daunting trip to Manchester United this Sunday.
Everton were widely regarded to have done some of the best business of the summer but amid the euphoria of getting some transfers over the line many claimed West Ham were now “winning” the transfer window.
But while it means little in terms of results, West Ham have looked unfit and out of form in pre-season with just one win in six games.
So did supporters get carried away by the signings? Because another look at West Ham’s business in the cold light of day shows a very different story.
A net spend of just £10 million means Bilic should have plenty more money to spend before the deadline and West Ham are going to need to spend it if they have real ambitions of pushing on as a club.
In reality Bilic has signed an ageing defender on a free, a loan for a keeper suffering a crisis of confidence of late, a moody midfielder who blows hot and cold for a club record fee, a striker who may be starved of the kind of service he requires and a young player who has been turned down by a number of top clubs as well as Aston Villa.
The club undoubtedly needs another top quality striker with Hernandez their only fit senior forward.
They have been linked with the likes of Jack Wilshere and Keita Balde Diao but it remains to be seen whether the board will splash the cash.
Harsh? Perhaps. But West Ham fans should be under no illusions that this clutch of signings will suddenly transform their fortunes.
The East Londoners must now hope the club are still going to seriously push for quality players for the remainder of the window with pace top of the priority list.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
