Many news sources are focussed on West Ham United’s lack of squad depth and how the Hammers ‘must’ dive into the transfer window in January in a desperate bid to save their season.
None of which helps come Friday evening.
If performances continue to be as pathetic as the Brentford ‘effort’, West Ham could well have been condemned to relegation by the time the window comes around.
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Improvement is required now. Today, not January or February. It is all well and good lamenting the failures of recent transfer windows but that won’t secure the points for West Ham to stay within reach of ‘the pack’ now starting to open up ground in the Premier League survival race.
Andy Irving surely not up to speed for Premier League
Andy Irving, sadly, may be a lovely guy but has no place in West Ham’s starting line up. Potter’s signing of Soungoutou Magassa in the last week of the summer window has provided West Ham with a combative, pacy defensive midfielder who, right now, would provide the Irons with a better option that Irving who looked slow and every inch the ‘squad’ player.
Quite how Nuno’s muddled, Lopetegui-like confused team selection settled on Irving instead of Magassa- who can tell: Especially after the 22 year-old’s first showings under Espírito Santo where he looked raw but capable against Everton and Arsenal.
“One of the slowest teams I’ve seen in Premier League history” is how Sky’s Jamie Carragher described West Ham’s woeful athleticism – and Magassa, preferably alongside Freddie Potts and Mateus Fernandes- would transform the Irons’ midfield performance and at least provide a quick fix: Pace to combat the threat as Leeds are surely licking their lips ahead of Friday night’s game.