Attractive players only please

Today's Guardian quotes David Moyes as saying that, "We are looking to bring in young, attractive and hungry players." Which sounds rather like recruiting a boy band after they haven't eaten all day — and certainly rules out Iain Dowie. What the gaffer seems to mean is that he wants young players with a resale value who aren't bought just "to fill a gap". The same article also mentions Joe Cole's comments on BT Sport when he said he'd played at West Ham with players who regarded it as the place to take a nice holiday in London.

At least Moyes has a vision and that would seem to involve adding a bit of height to the side. Likely new signing Tomas Soucek is 6ft 4ins and the club is also bidding for 22-year-old right-back Rasmus Kristensen, another six-footer. The club has wasted far too much money in the last decade. Buying potential is surely the right way way to go.