West Ham United never intended to have an overhaul of their squad during the summer transfer window this season.
That is according to transfer expert Dean Jones, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the Irons’ transfer business following the conclusion of the window at the start of the month.
David Moyes welcomed eight permanent additions to the London Stadium this summer, including the signings of Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paquetá for a fee of potentially more than £50m, Italy forward Gianluca Scamacca for £30.5m and Moroccan centre-back Nayef Aguerd for £30m.
The club only sold three players on permanent deals this summer, with the most significant being centre-back Issa Diop, who moved across London to join fellow Premier League side Fulham for a fee of £15m.
And Jones believes that Moyes will be satisfied with the club’s window this summer, despite the fact they didn’t secure a late signing on deadline day, with a move for defender Jan Bednarek falling through.
He said: “I mean, he’s okay about it, because West Ham actually have a pretty good squad and they never wanted a massive overhaul because it would have killed their vibe.”
TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments…
We agree with Jones and believe that West Ham have had a very solid transfer window in keeping the core nucleus of the successful side Moyes has built, as well as adding to it with some genuine first-team options.
Whilst Paquetá will be the most talked-about signing, the addition of Scamacca was something the club desperately needed to get over the line due to the club’s lack of centre-forward options prior to his arrival.
And with the injuries at the back that they have suffered – including to new recruit Aguerd – it did appear that West Ham were looking to bring in more players than they had originally planned, so based on Jones’ comments, we can understand why Moyes would be content despite their failure to add on deadline day.
Therefore, we think that Moyes and fans of the Hammers can be very satisfied with the club’s business this summer and can now look forward to competing on domestic and European fronts this season.