Hammers Blogs

Opinion: West Ham have left themselves open to be manipulated

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West Ham are now in a very vulnerable position in the chase for a striker, where the club can potentially be manipulated in the transfer market.

Having let Marko Arnautović, Andy Carroll and Lucas Pérez leave, the failed pursuit of Maxi Gómez, which was reported by Sky Sports, means any club approached by the Hammers will be aware of the club’s desperation for a striker.

This means that any club we approach could bump up the price they charge the Hammers, due to the knowledge there will come a stage where we will have to pay over the odds to bring in numbers up top.

One of the players in our current squad is evidence enough that this can happen: Jordan Hugill.

West Ham had been trying to sign Scott Hogan during that window, but having failed to do so made a move for the Preston man, paying a reported £10 million for him – a valuation they wouldn’t likely have met if it wasn’t so close to the deadline.

There is a different factor at play here though, as Mario Husillos is now in charge of transfers and probably wouldn’t have signed off on a deal for a player like that.

Even so, while the calibre of striker will likely still be someone who is useful for the Hammers, it is almost inevitable that teams will try their luck in squeezing as much money out of West Ham as possible.

It was always a risk to go all out for Gómez and it didn’t pay off, the Hammers could now pay the consequence in upcoming transfer negotiations in the hunt for a striker.

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