West Ham handing Manuel Pellegrini control of transfers is smart move

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West Ham United are reportedly ready to hand Manuel Pellegrini the chance to have full control over the club’s transfer policy.

According to a report from the Guardian, West Ham are on the verge of appointing Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager and David Sullivan is ready to step back from transfers and hand the Chilean full control over the club’s recruitment.

It is a major show of faith in the former Manchester City boss, and based on the Hammers’ transfer record in recent years, it appears to be one of the smartest moves that the club could make.

It is difficult to know who was responsible for each transfer that has taken place at the London Stadium and Upton Park previously, but the record is certainly extremely mixed. For every Marko Arnautovic, there is a Patrice Evra and Jordan Hugill – and the Austrian seemingly needed a change of manager to avoid being placed into the transfer flop category.

It has arguably been an underwhelming record for a number of years and their most recent summer window helped almost put them in serious danger of being relegated to the Championship this past season.

Pellegrini has not got everything right during his managerial career, but he has experience of elevating sides and winning honours having signed several exciting players along the way. That not only suggests that he will have a good grasp of which players to target in the market, but it should also help convince marquee names that West Ham is a club that is progressing and can compete in the latter stages of cup competitions while maintaining a solid league position.

After a campaign where many of the fans clearly grew tired of what was happening at their club, handing control of transfers to a marquee manager like Pellegrini is undoubtedly a positive step. Now the owners must make sure that they back the 64-year-old when he produces a list of targets for the Irons this summer.