More Transfer Weirdness From West Ham

 Jose Fonte - a decent centre back who has good leadership skills. Moreover, he is a proven winner with Portugal in the 2016 Euros. However, at 33 years 'young' you'd really have to wonder what on earth West Ham are doing! The reported transfer fee of £8 million seems exorbitant - especially when you consider that West Ham let the talented and versatile (and considerably younger) James Tomkins go for £10 million in the Summer!

The big question is where Fonte will fit into Bilic's side? The Irrepressible Winston Reid would seem a starting fixture which raises questions about the confidence SuperSlav has in Angelo Ogbonna. Moreover, the move will hardly Cheer the two Reece's who surely must be worth more game time as we seem to be heading for a mid-table consolidation year?

The contract runs until 2019 by which time Fonte will be 35. It's a strange one and in all honesty, just now is a move from Southampton to West Ham really much of an upgrade? Perhaps SuperSlav will argue that strengthening the defence and adding leadership to the side will tilt our fortunes for a big push forwards?

A look at Fonte's stats on Squawka further confuses the matter. He has an overall rating of 261, with 9 defensive actions per game and a 47% success rate in challenges. At 28 years of age, Angelo Ogbonna is in his prime and has a rating of 300 with 8 defensive actions per game and a 59% success rate in duels. Is Fonte here to just provide cover? That would be quite a come down for the Southampton captain!

Weird, just weird!

Another Hammers Striker Slips Through the Net

Maguire nets again in front of a sell out crowd in Ireland

One of the lingering gripes amongst Hammers fans about the Allardyce era was the reluctance to give youth an airing. Allardyce apologists may well point to the infamous FA Cup thumping up at Notts Forest, but in reality there were very few chances for upcoming talent under Big Sam.

Sean Maguire was brought to the club in 2013 after a prolific season as a striker for Waterford United in the League of Ireland first division. After two years in the development squad, during which he went on loans to Sligo Rovers and Accrington Stanley, 21 year old Maguire was let go in 2015 after a sum total on zero appearances for the first team.

Now he's back in the spotlight. After a stint with Dundalk - last year's winners of the Airtricity Premier League, he is now banging in the goals for high flying Cork City. with an impressive 16 goals in 23 games so far this season, Maguire is now 22 and starting to reach his potential. So much so that a host of clubs in Europe are monitoring his situation, including Sint Truidense and Genk.

Which brings us back to the Hammers. Despite all the talk about the Reece's and Josh Cullen, they have not contributed so far to this season's endeavours and must be getting itchy. Cullen is enjoying first team football at Bradford where he has been compared to Zinedine Zidane, while the Reece's occasionally make the bench even though our defence has been seriously underperforming.

It's hard to feel that we have found the right balance between youth and experience, but if anything we appear to be still much too cautious.

Good luck to Sean Maguire. Once a hammer, always a Hammer!

 

 

Who is the best option at right back for West Ham? Time for you to have your say...

As our defensive woes continue, we at VERYWESTHAM have launched a fans poll to assist Mr Bilic in dealing with what appears to be a rare blind spot in his footie vision. With your help, SuperSlav can get his head around the options at right back and hopefully we can rediscover our defensive brilliance of last season.

Get your vote in now!

Bilic's Man-Management Coming Under Scrutiny

The rise and rise of Hammers 19 year old Norwegian sensation Martin Samuelsen continued this week with his debut appearance for the full Norwegian side. Samuelsen came on as a second half substitute provoking the free kick that resulted in a winning goal for Norway as the game ended 3-2. Although Norway wont be competing at the Euros, they have a series of friendlies this Summer that can provide further opportunities for Samuelsen to shine.

Samuelsen has enjoyed an impressive first season at West Ham. After the action of the Europa League, he spent most of the season at Peterborough where he notched 20 appearances scoring two goals in the process. One of these came against our old mates at Sheffield United and understandably drew comparisons with a certain Mr Lionel Messi...take a look below!

Samuelsen also got to notch a trophy as he returned from the Posh to appear for the Hammers U21 side as they seized the Premiership title last month. Right now things look mighty positive but how will he fit into manager Slaven Bilic's plans next season and how will West Ham accommodate the growing needs of their other rising stars such as Reece Oxford, Reece Burke and Josh Cullen?

With a talented squad already at his disposal and instructions to bring in some players who can immediately slot into our first team, Bilic has an embarrassment of riches. Oxford managed 12 appearances last term, but if the rumour mill is anything to go by, may be tempted elsewhere in search of more first team action. Burke and Cullen enjoyed successful loan spells at Bradford City.

All of which points towards the merits of taking the Europa League more seriously this year. These starlets need more experience while a glance around the rest of the team also raises cries for more first team action - Darren Randolph can only be kept on the sidelines for so long, the fact that James Tomkins couldn't get a CB berth highlights the quality in defence.

In midfield, where Cullen and Samuelsen will be hoping to contribute, there is already has a host of top performers both creatively (Payet, Lanzini, Antonio) as well as in the engine room (Noble, Kouyate and Obiang).

Samuelsen is tall (almost 6'3") pacey and has quick feet. He can play either centrally or out wide. This versatility will undoubtedly be an important asset as he tries to force his way into the first team.

He can also play a bit of guitar...maybe that will further endear him to our rock star manager!

Exciting times ahead. Let's hope we can keep all these talented players on board and happy!