Interesting piece in today's Guardian by Jacob Steinberg, headlined, "A great window for West Ham… or sticking plasters in lieu of a plan?" He points out that though the Irons have made great signings on paper, they do not provide the pace Bilic said he wanted and they're all on the old side. Zabaleta is 32, Hart 30, Hernandez 29 and Arnautovic 28.
In the piece David Sullivan admits that the club have gone back on their plan of recruiting youth: "We made a decision with the manager to buy players proven in the Premier League, who've been here before and who are of an age where they're not being bought for tomorrow but today. Long term it's not a great strategy, but short term it is."
I'd agree with Sullivan that football is a short-term game and that if West Ham win a cup or get in the top six in the next couple of years then they'll look like great signings. And remember that the likes of Calleri were signed for the future.
But Steinberg also has a point in the way the club is seemingly always changing strategy: "Robert Snodgrass, signed as Payet's replacement six months ago, has been replaced by Arnautovic after half a season. That is the price of short-termism: it exposes the lack of a plan." Click on the link to read the complete feature.
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