Haller set to move to Ajax and Snoddy to Albion

It seems that Sebastien Haller is about to move to Ajax for £20 million with the Hammers losing £25 million on Seb in a season and a half. So another piece of terrible business from West Ham. But really there's not a lot of choice. Haller just doesn't fit into Moyes' system (or indeed Pellegrini's) and doesn't have anything like the energy of Antonio if we're playing a lone striker.

He undoubtedly has talent as we saw with brilliant goals against Palace and Sheffield United, but as Moyes pointedly pointed out, he needs to get tap-ins as well as wonder goals and he hasn't been doing that. It's astonishing that WHU would pay £45 million for a striker without pace and his body language has looked all wrong, as if he'd rather be elsewhere. He doesn't even look excited when he scores, which is hard to understand. 

Haller might prosper if a team is built around him and he has a strike partner at Ajax, but he doesn't fit around the players West Ham currently have. What we have to do though is quickly sign a replacement as Antonio's hamstrings are more delicate than the state of US democracy. And please not Arnautovic — a great player on his day but a player who always move on when it suits him. 

It also seems Robert Snodgrass might be on the move to join Big Sam at West Brom. We've always liked a trier and its admirable the way he came back after being frozen out and loaned to Villa for a season. Snoddy whips in a great corner and free kick and scored a few memorable goals, most notably his half-volley against Crystal Palace. But at 33 you can understand that he might want to play every week, so good luck to him. He could be a fine signing for WBA. 

A good season for Snoddy

So Robert Snodgrass is to contest the charge of using "abusive and/or insulting words" to doping officials. My pal Matt thinks the problem might be that if you say anything in a Glasgow accent, even a joke, it can sound threatening. But whatever happens it's been a surprisingly good season for Snodgrass. He's played in 28 league games, either starting or coming on as a sub, scoring twice and making several goals from his inswinging corners. He's also bagged a couple of goals against Macclesfield in the Carabao Cup. 

It's been quite a turnaround for a player who was unforgivably derided by his own chairman in an interview and loaned out to Aston Villa after just 16 games. Pellegrini advised him to lose weight after too many motorway meals and he's responded by putting in a shift whenever called upon. With Nasri injured he might get another outing tomorrow. At 31 Snodgrass might not be one for the future. If Nasri stays and Lanzini plays he might be moved on, but even so, this season has been one where Snoddy has shown considerable character and has been involved in nearly every game. Who would have thought that would happen back in August?

In praise of Snoddy

You have to admire the character of Robert Snodgrass, who is winning the fans over with his workrate and committed performances. He was asked to replace one of the best players in the world in Diego Payet, which he was never going to do. Slaven Bilic gave up on him after just 15 games and loaned him to Aston Villa for a season. While at Villa, where he did well playing 40 games and scoring seven times in the Championship, he was criticised in public by David Sullivan and Karren Brady, which should never have happened at a well-run football club. He could easily have demanded a permanent move,

But this season Snoddy has won over Manuel Pellegrini and featured in every game, opening his scoring account with a brace against Macclesfield. In the last two away games he's cut back balls that Arnautovic and Ogbonna should both have buried. He's not the greatest player in the world, but he's putting in the effort, and West Ham fans will always appreciate a player who puts in a shift. With the current injury crisis we need squad players like Snoddy. Could this be the season he finally makes an impact in claret and blue?