Grady makes the grade

Three wins so far from the pre-season games against Wycombe, Ipswich and Brentford. Perhaps the main thing we can take from these games is that Grady Diangana is going to have a big role this season. The young winger set up Haller for two goals against Ipswich and assisted again for Yarmolenko's opener against Brentford. Could Diangana be the answer to getting Sebastien Haller scoring again? 

What's also evident from pre-season, with Rice and Diop out with knocks, is that West Ham are very stretched at the back. Another centre back and a full back are needed at the least, although Ben Johnson continues to make progress. While up front we have Haller and Antonio, but no back-up strikers. With Zabaleta, Sanchez, Ajeti, Hugill, Ngakia and Roberto off the wage bill it's now time to act decisively in the transfer market.

End of an error

So calamity keeper Roberto has departed on a free to La Liga side Real Valladolid, a team which sounds  like one of my pal Nigel's more obscure heavy metal albums. We'll never forget his nine games for the Hammers, for all the wrong reasons. His biggest error was punching the ball into his own net at Burnley, though he also gave away two goals in the home defeat to Newcastle and let a Son shot go straight through him against Spurs, while he was also slow to react to Sheffield United's equaliser in the 1-1 home draw and let in a soft goal at his near post at Everton. Plus there was his role in the 4-0 debacle at Oxford United in the League Cup. 

His tendency to punch caused panic and my main memory is of him hopping around his area like a not very cat-like keeper on a hot tin roof. Yet bizarrely there was also a half-decent keeper in there somewhere, as after that clanger against Burnley he went on to produce a series of brilliant saves. In the end we couldn't replace Adrian with just any old Spanish keeper — Roberto's signing almost resulted in relegation. At least with Darren Randolph at the club we now have a capable deputy for Fabianski.

More like a football ground?

There won't be any football with crowds until at least October, but thankfully West Ham have made some progress on squaring off the stands at the London Stadium. The Evening Standard published pictures of the £5m revamp. The problems of the curved sides haven't been solved, but with the ends four metres closer to the action and now square the atmosphere should be improved. Though whether the players want to be closer to some of the abuse they get is another matter... but at least if someone in the Bobby Moore Stand shouts "Come on Hammers really pep it up and make it mediocre!" the lads might now hear.

Hugill departs

Jordan Hugill has now departed for Norwich City for a fee that could rise to £5 million. We've also sold Albian Ajeti to Celtic for £4.5 million, so that's £9.5 million banked for two strikers who cost a combined total of £18 million, neither of whom never started a league match. Hugill played just 22 minutes for West Ham and the suspicion remains that he was a panic signing by Sullivan rather than Moyes two seasons ago. In the circumstances the club has done well to recoup some money, but having lost £5m on Hugill and £3.5m on Ajeti it's definitive proof that, to contradict Mark Noble, the club really is run like a circus. Hopefully the signings of Soucek and Bowen by David Moyes represent the start of an era of planned recruitment.

Ajeti scores!

There was something inevitable about Albian Ajeti scoring on his league debut for Celtic against Dundee United. If we assume the Scottish Premier League is about the same standard as the Championship then that is probably Ajeti's level. The Yeti scored a few goals for Basel but never looked a Premier League player during his few sub appearances plus three games in the Cups for West Ham. Which means he'll probably be brilliant for Celtic. 

Meanwhile the Times reports that the Irons are desperate to offload Jack Wilshere and will either buy out his contract or subsidise his wages in a loan move. Knowing the Hammers' anti-Midas touch, what are the odds he goes to another club and plays 38 games in a row?

Tough start for Hammers

So WHU are up against a bunch of Geordie no-hopers on September 12 — what could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot according to the Daily Mail which states that Betfair has installed David Moyes as favourite for being the first PL manager to be sacked. 

The Irons face six of the top eight in their first seven games. But we should remember that West Ham did the double over Chelsea and took four points off Man United last time round, so as ever we can raise our game against top sides. 

Leicester and Wolves are two of the teams the Hammers play, though both these sides might not be so impressive this time round. An away match at Spurs often springs an upset and Arsenal have flaws. October does look a little dodgy though, with games against Man City ay home and Liverpool away. 

After that tough start things do get a little better and the final run-in doesn't look too bad. The most important thing is to get a win against Newcastle — points on the board would immediately give the side confidence. 

Jeremy enters the Hornets' nest

Jeremy Ngakia doesn't have much to thank his advisers for. He's now joined Watford, which is a downward move for him since the Hornets' relegation. It's all very odd, as in the five games he played for the Hammers he looked really impressive and showed no fear against teams like Liverpool and Arsenal. Next season he would have been in with a good chance of playing regularly. He looked a better defender than Ryan Fredericks and was being picked by Moyes ahead of Ben Johnson — and Pablo Zabaleta has now retired. While not even signing an extension to play until the end of this season deprived him of games too. After a solid season with West Ham next time round he would have been in a good position career-wise. As it is, his head was turned and he could be stuck in the Championship for several years.

Farewell A Yeti

So Albian Ajeti has been sold to Celtic for £4.5m. Whenever the PA announced his brief substitute appearances it always sounded like "A Yeti" was coming on, which is of significance for Doctor Who fans, though he never showed any Great Intelligence. The club has done well to get £4.5 million for a player who never looked good enough and was yet another example of West Ham's poor recruitment. 

Ajeti never started a league match for the Hammers and only started in three cup games. He failed to score and played 400 minutes without having a shot on target. What a waste of the £8million WHU paid to Basel. He did score on his debut for Switzerland, though that was against Iceland. But why Pellegrini and Husillos sold Chicharito and replaced him with the Swiss striker is still baffling. He looked a downgrade on Jordan Hugill who at least scored 13 times for QPR while on loan last season.

The signings of Hugill and Ajeti are illustrative of the scattergun approach West Ham have had to recruitment. The club has spent £16million on two strikers who have never started a league match. Why sign players we have no faith in?

Haller and Anderson: stick or twist?

Two of the big decisions David Moyes will have to make this summer will be over the futures of expensive flops Seb Haller and Felipe Anderson. The club has spent so much money on them it seems prudent to give both another chance rather than sell them at a substantial loss. 

What we did learn about Haller is that he can't play alone up front. But he looked much more threatening alongside Antonio, and in the Southampton and Arsenal away games before lockdown the front three of Bowen, Haller and Antonio looked like it might be really threatening. Seven goals from Sebastien wasn't nearly enough, but at times he looked special; that overhead kick against Watford away, the acrobatic volley he scored against Bournemouth and that first-time volley from 50 yards out that Foster saved against Watford at home. 

But what Sebastien does need to do is to use his physique to bully defenders more. Perhaps as a former centre back Moyes can help him by explaining just what defenders don't like. Foreign signings are often better in their second season so let's see what Haller can do this time round.

Felipe Anderson is another enigma who cost £36 million. Under Pellegrini he had a fine season, scoring nine league goals including running from his own half to net against Southampton away and a great curling effort into the top corner against Crystal Palace. Yet he's been hugely disappointing in 2019-20, despite Moyes exhorting him to produce some Brazilian magic. 

Perhaps Anderson might be better in a side that isn't struggling against relegation. His confidence seemed shattered, though could he also be a young man having problems settling in London off the pitch? What we do know is that he has ability and somehow we have to drag it out of him.

Haller and Anderson have cost £81 million between them. Both are worth persevering with, but WHU have to get much more out of the pair next season.

Hammers in the Observer

Here's my summary of the season in yesterday's Observer. Click on the link to read. Always difficult to speculate on signings but we could do with a couple of full-backs and a striker to put some pressure on Haller and Antonio. Probably another centre-back too, though Grady Diangana will be like a new signing. He scored one and made one in the game that won WBA promotion while on loan and has had a fine season for the Baggies. 

As for possible departures, these could include Jack Wilshere if anyone will pay his wages, Masuaku, Balbuena, Yarmolenko, Ajeti, Hugill and Anderson or Lanzini. Should be an interesting summer as David Moyes reshapes his squad…