West Ham’s hierarchy blame Mario Husillos for the summer recruitment drive which has resulted in a lack of mobility in the midfield, according to the Times.
The newspaper claim Hammers top brass are concerned that a central midfield three of skipper Mark Noble and summer signings Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez has been left “looking painfully slow”.
The Times report this “is so far being viewed internally as a black mark against Husillos” after the director of football and manager Manuel Pellegrini persuaded owner David Sullivan to hand Jack Wilshere a three-year contract rather than the one-year deal he had intended.
OPINION
West Ham’s wretched start to the season has meant the finger pointing has started earlier than usual. With four league defeats on the trot, the club prop up the Premier League and are in danger of a season-long relegation battle if they don’t get off to winning ways soon. The club’s hierarchy are said to be concerned that the £100million spent on new signings has had no effect whatsover on improving the team and that the best signing so far has been goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. It is certainly an understandable gripe that the midfield is short of energy and ability to eat up space and close down opponents. In the brutally demanding Premier League, players need to be far more than just in physically prime condition. They need to be athletic and quick, too. Are Wilshere, Sanchez and Noble the central midfielders West Ham need? The evidence from the first four matches is they are not. But it is still early days and Pellegrini will hope Sunday’s clash against a weakened Everton will quieten concern among the hierarchy.