Gazzetta West Ham

Enjoyed West Ham TV's Gazzetta West Ham homage to Channel 4's Italian football coverage with James Richardson and Gianluca Scamacca. The big man's English is excellent from his time in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, so that should help him settle in at Rush Green. He has already mastered, "Wotcha, me old China" and "Come on you Irons!". He spoke with some articulacy and seems to relish the "project" here at the London Stadium. Hopefully it will all be Di Canio-esque rather than Zaza-esque. Now the only problem is what his nickname is, will it be Macca, Scama or Scamsy?

No longer striker light! Gianluca signs

Stop all the clocks... West Ham have signed a striker! And a good one in the £30.5 million Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo. They'll be dancing in the streets of Ilford. It's only taken the Irons 19 months to replace Sebastien Haller. 

Looking at Scamacca's highlights he looks like he'd really fit into a Moyes side, a big but mobile man up front who, like Antonio, can occupy two or three defenders. He can score long-range goals, headers and tap-ins, but also produces back-heels. He's an Italian international with seven caps and he scored 16 goals in Serie A last season.The six foot five striker has even been compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

Though his family might liven things up. Various papers have reported that his father allegedly smashed up the cars of Roma stars with an iron bar, as you do. Though Gianluca was brought up mainly by his mother and sister and only sees his father "rarely". 

This could really change our season and it also means the overworked Antonio — who last season attended more work events than Boris Johnson — will get a rest. Plus Moyes now has the option of either playing two strikers or bringing a quality striker off the bench. Welcome to the Irons, Macca.

Aguerd crocked

It's very bad news that Nayef Aguerd has had surgery on the ankle he injured in the friendly at Rangers. The club said it wasn't broken at the time, but haven't revealed exactly what the problem is. The last thing we need is to lose the summer's £30m star signing with a long-term injury. My pal Matt the Jinxmaster General has already invoked Richard Hall and Simon Webster as examples of other defenders we have signed only to see them crocked before the season started. Hopefully the ever-reliable Craig Dawson will return and team up with Zouma for the start of the season, if not we need to hang on to Diop. Better news is the hopeful arrival of Scamacca, but I'm saying nothing until it's officially announced as with WHU anything can happen.

Bye bye Jesse

So Jesse Lingard has taken the money (close to £200k a week is being reported) and signed for Nottingham Forest. In the process he's mugged off David Moyes who has pursued him for three transfer windows and now looks like a dumped Love Island contestant. 

In a way it's a relief. It was increasingly obvious Jesse wasn't desperate to play for West Ham as the window went on — if he did he would have been keen to sign as soon as the window opened. The club made a great offer of a reported £150k a week but it was never worth breaking the wage structure for a player who turns 30 in December. Even Newcastle refused to contemplate Lingard's wage demands.

And would he have repeated the fantastic form he showed during his loan spell? Back then he had something to prove to Man United. It could be Forest will regret paying such huge wages if things don't start well — and remember he's missed pre-season and Lingard couldn't get in a struggling United side last season. Time has been wasted, but West Ham might now be able to use the money to buy a young, hungry striker. Remember strikers, they were big in the Seventies?

West Ham can't pay Lingard silly money

If Jesse Lingard was on Love Island he'd be one of those contestants who flirts with everyone while taking the whole series to make a commitment. If Nottingham Forest are prepared, as reported in the Daily Mail, to pay him close to £200,000 a week (though a lot of this may be add-ons) then good luck to them. There's no way West Ham can pay him more than Rice and Bowen and we've seen the problems of players on long-term contracts with high-wages who underperform — Yarmolenko was on £120k a week and never justified that level of expenditure, while Wilshere and Anderson also cost the club a lot in wages. 

The whole Lingard saga has dragged on too long — he's had the whole of last season and now this summer to think about his future. Yes, he was fantastic in his loan spell, he has to consider all options and it's a short career, but does Lingard want to maximise his wages or go where the football opportunities are best? He's guaranteed European football and a decent side at West Ham whereas Forest could be involved in a relegation struggle. He's also been considering offers from the US and Saudi Arabia according to the press. He either wants to play for West Ham or he doesn't. There are other targets out there and Lingard has already missed half the pre-season. As my WHU pal Lisa's favourite band Bucks Fizz might have put it, it's time for making your mind up, Jesse.

Get well soon Seb

Very sorry to hear that Sebastien Haller has been diagnosed with testicular cancer — and just after signing for Borussia Dortmund from Ajax. He never fitted into the Moyes counter-attacking system, but in a team that dominates games like Ajax and Dortmund do he can flourish. We know he can finish if given chances from the stunning overhead kick he scored against Palace and that rocket away to Sheffield United. Let's hope he's back on the pitch soon. Declan Rice spoke for us all when he tweeted: “Thoughts are with you my brother. Praying you have a speedy recovery.”

A striker on the way?

We're still striker light, with Moyes' search seemingly taking longer than Lord of the Rings, though the Irons are after Chelsea's Armando Broja, who really troubled the WHU defence with his pace last season. It's also reported that West Ham have put in a £34m offer for Sassuolo's Gianlucca Scamacca, who sounds like he could be part of the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody, and is an Italian international. Macca would be an easy nickname, which is always worth considering when making a signing.

Two extra strikers would be ideal, though you do wonder if the Hammers are being too ambitious in their targets. Phillips and Raphina were never likely to leave Leeds for West Ham in January (and ended up at Man City and Barcelona) while another reported target, Darwin Nunez, held out of a move to Liverpool this summer. Chelsea might yet want to keep Broja, so perhaps a hungry striker from the Championship, like Blackburn's Ben Brereton Diaz, might yet be our best option. Though if we do get Broja, even on loan, it would certainly be exciting.

Going Downes with the Hammers

Good to see the Hammers signing an Essex Man who supports the Irons. Flynn Downes was born in Brentwood, breeding ground of top footballers (and this former firm but fair centre back), but made his debut for Ipswich and then moved on to Swansea City. He seems to like a tackle and will strengthen the defensive midfield position after the departures of Noble and Kral. At 23 and at £12 million he's a good age and price. Hopefully he might develop from the Championship in the way Jarrod Bowen has done. My pal Huw, an uber Swansea fan, says this of Flynn: "Very good all-rounder who can double up in defence. One of those players you particularly notice when he is not there and your other players suddenly don’t look as good." Welcome home Flynn.

The London Stadium "has accounting value of zero"

Interesting piece by Oliver Wainwright in the Guardian on the  shortfall in the promised affordable housing in the Olympic Park, that was supposed to be the result of the 2012 Olympic Games. He also blames Boris Johnson for going ahead with the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a folly which is now £13 million in debt. 

There's also a revealing paragraph on the London Stadium, which points out that the London Stadium, owned by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), is losing £10 million a year. Wainwright writes: "As a damning report by the London Assembly’s budget and performance committee noted last year: “It is ironic that by having fewer large-scale events, thanks to Covid-19, the park is haemorrhaging less money than if it were business as usual.” In the latest accounts, the stadium was listed with a value of zero."

The LLDC is handing back its planning powers to Newham Council in two years' time and will eventually be disbanded. With  the London Stadium technically valued at nothing, even though it cost £760 million to build, this surely puts West Ham in a very good position to buy the stadium at a knockdown price and redesign it as the club sees fit.

Sonny scarpers, Lingard stalls

Not a good weekend on the transfer front. Academy product Sonny Perkins has left West Ham despite an offer to turn professional, which has prompted a furious statement from the club, stating they are "disappointed" with his representatives and "strongly believe" the 18-year-old has another club lined up — which will mean the Hammers have to be compensated. Meanwhile Jesse Lingard is reportedly flirting with Everton and the Daily Mail reports he's asking for £150,000 a week. If Lingard can't scrape by on less than that at West Ham then do we want him? Jesse had a great loan spell here, but at this stage of his career should be moving for football reasons and not finances. Does he really want to choose a club that almost went down last season over a club that finished seventh and is in Europe? Let's stick to players who want to play for West Ham.