West Ham united have made some questionable acquisitions over the past two transfer windows.
West Ham United’s Jose Fonte
The Hammers brought Jose Fonte to the club from Southampton in January, for a fee believed to be in the region of £8 million, and the Portuguese has really struggled to replicate the form he showcased on such a consistent basis during his time at St Mary’s.
Despite having played only eight games for West Ham, Fonte looks to be way off the pace, and at his age, it is debatable whether he will actually return to his best form.
In those eight games, the East London outfit have conceded 18 goals, taking just five points from the 24 available and Slaven Bilic is already being questioned by Hammers fans on the merits of bringing a 33-year-old to the club for such a substantial transfer fee.
And it wasn’t as if there were not other options available to the Croatian.
Andrea Ranocchia joined Hull City on a season long loan from Inter Milan in the latter stages of the January transfer window.
Hull City’s Andrea Ranocchia celebrates
The 29-year-old Italian has also played eight games for his new club, but his impact on the Tigers’ season has been far more positive than Fonte’s on West Ham’s.
Marco Silva’s men have conceded just 12 goals in those eight games, including the four shipped away at Everton, and the towering centre-back has helped his side record an impressive tally of 11 points during those outings – six more than Bilic’s men have racked up during the same period.
To add insult to injury, the Italian scored the winner against the Hammers on Saturday at the KCOM Stadium, in a game that could have huge ramifications with regards to the relegation battle.
And if West Ham and Bilic had done their due diligence on the Inter-owned defender, they could very well have been in a far more comfortable position than the one they currently find themselves in.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
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