The Future of Bobby Z

Are we having a fire sale, or something? According to various newspaper reports Bobby Zamora is being sold to QPR for a mere £2.5 million. Firstly, it is difficult to believe that an established Premier League player is only worth such a trifling sum and secondly it is incredulous that he would want to move to a middling Championship club when a couple of Premier League teams have already expressed interest in him.

I accept the need for one or two of our strikers to be moved on, and even though I will be sad to see Bobby go, he must be sold at the market price (£4-5 million iMHO) and for his own sake go to a higher profile team than QPR.

Gudjohnsen On His Way?

I feel it in my water. Eidur Gudjohnsen will be a Hammer withi a few weeks. THIS piece has all the details. Gudjohnsen has set out his stall, so if West Ham want him, all they have to do is go and get him. There’s no doubt about it, he is a good player, but I wonder if his best days are behind him. His goalscoring record isn’t prolific, but he would bring a lot to the team. If he does come, it would seem that would spell curtains for either Carlton Cole or Bobby Zamora, as I still think Bellamy and Ashton would be the first choice front two.

Farewell Nobby

I was sceptical about the signing of Nobby Solano last year, but he totally won me over. His effort was tremendous and his deadball skills were something we desperately needed after Tevez went to Man U. So I am sorry to see the club let him go. However, I can see why. Assuming Dyer and Faubert are fit, they would be the first choice down the right. There’s also Lee Bowyer who can play there too.

The Sun also reports that Dean Ashton will sign a five year deal this week. I just hope that’s true.

Anton Must Not Be Sold On The Cheap

Various websites and newspapers are reporting that West Ham are willing to entertain bids of £5 million for Anton Ferdinand. I’d like to think these reports are rubbish, but there is a degree of consistency about them. Surely to God he is worth more than that, not that I think he should be sold in the first place. His form last season was consistently good, with fewer of the howlers which he has in the past been prone to make. His partnership with Matthew Upson in the first half of the season blossomed to the extent that we had the best defensive record outside the Top Four.

If we are to sell him, he is surely worth at least £8 million.

Andy Johnson Linked Again

The News of the World again links us to Everton’s Andy Johnson. I like Johnson as a player, but he is incredibly injury prone, and I cannot see why we would need a player like him unless we were planning to sell Dean Ashton.

What Price Mark Noble?

This week’s News of the World is touting Mark Noble as a replacement for Flamini at Arsenal. The Gunners apparently considered an approach for Noble in the last transfer window, says the article. We shouldn’t be surprised that Nobes is attracting attention. Even though he’s not the finished article yet, it’s clear that he is going to be one of the best midfielders in the country. I fully expect him to make the England squad within twelve months. Arsenal apparently value him at £8 million.

Mark Noble is West Ham born and bred. It’s now up to the club to make it clear to him that they intend to build a side ready to challenge for honours, and that they will build the squad around him. If his head was turned by a move to one of the big four, it would be a tragedy. If that is not to happen he needs to be confident about the club’s ambition. It still breaks my heart to think what might have been if we had been able to hold onto James, Sinclair, Cole, Carrick, Lampard, Kanoute, Di Canio, Johnson and Defoe. Best not to go there.

Do We Really Need a New Striker?

A constant theme on this blog in recent weeks in the comments has been the desire for a new striker. Admittedly our goals ratio hasn’t been what we might have expected this season, and people are laying the blame at the feet of Dean Ashton. It’s clear he is not on form and siffering a crisis of confidence. The reaction of sections of the crowd is not helping. Along with Zamora, Bellamy and Cole, you’d have thought we would have our best ever strike force. With Camara also available and Ljungberg and Boa Morte also able to play up front, why on earth would we need a new striker. That, of course, is to ignore all the injuries our players have suffered.

With Zamora ready to return I am fairly optimistic about the rest of the season. It is a shame Bellamy is now out, but if Dean Ashton can get some form back, and Carlton stays in the great form he’s been in (and can get a few more goals) I think we’ll be OK.

But if we DID buy a striker in the summer – and had up to £10 million available, who would you urge Curbishley to go for?

What Could Sidwell Bring Us?

My newspaper of choice (not), the Daily Mirror suggests that we will sign Steve Sidwell from Chelsea at the end of the season for £5 million. Pour qoi? I cannot see anything that he wouldbring to the team which Noble, Parker and Mullins do not. Do you?

Move Along, Nothing to See…

Only seven more days to go in the transfer window and we have been involved in precisely, er, zero transfers in or out. I can’t decide whether that is a good thing or not. The NEWS NOW West Ham page carries precious few transfer rumours. Normally at this stage every other story would be a new bit of gossip. I can’t really believe we will get to the 31st and the situation will remain the same, but you never know.

I still think we should be trying to offload Dailly (whose move to Rangers fell through), Quashie and a couple of others. Oh, and Boa Morte .

Ashton & Green Transfer Targets?

Let’s look at three rumours in the papers this morning.

Firstly, Kevin Keegan apparently wants to sign Dean Ashton for £7 million. This is the amount we paid Norwich for him. Few would deny his value has significantly increased since then, so that looks to be an undervaluation by at least £2-3 million. Should we even be tempted? There is a school of thought that says that Deano hasn’t been the same since his injury and that we should cash in while we can. There is no doubt that he’s not firing on all cylinders at the moment but I have seen enough to believe that it won’t be long before he is back to his best. VERDICT: DON’T SELL

Arsenal are also, according to a couple of papers, about to offer £7 million for Robert Green. Again, I’d say this is an undervaluation. And I would be devastated if we sold him. He’s been our most consistent performer for the last year and is an outstanding keeper. A complication of selling him would be that it would be difficult to line up a replacement with only a week of the transfer window still left. My gut feeling is that we will indeed sell him to Arsenal, but not until the Summer. It will be an interesting test of whether he and the Board believe this a club which is going placed. If he does, he’ll stay, but if moving to Arsenal will further his chances of playing for England we may be seeing the last few months of Robert Green in a West Ham shirt: VERDICT: KEEP IF AT ALL POSSIBLE

The third rumour concerns Giovanni Trappatoni coming in as Director of Football. The sixty eight year old Italian has a record which is second to none, but I have severe doubts about this. Can anyone name me a club where a Director of Football role has worked? And would it really work bringing in a foreigner with no knowledge of West Ham’s traditions? One paper even says this would be a precursor to him taking over from Curbishley! VERDICT: WE DON’T NEED HIM

Laugh? I Nearly Wet Myself

According to the Mirror, Celtic are to bid £4 million for Mark Noble. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Theo Walcott Coming on Loan?

According to one of our readers, he’s seen this on a West Ham site…

Theo Walcott could be making the short move across London from Arsenal to West Ham on loan for the rest of the season. The move could see Walcott in Alan Curbishley’s depleted squad as soon as Sunday’s Premier League encounter with Manchester City.

The only reason I think there might be something in this is because I reckon if we go after another striker it will be someone on loan. With four strikers to choose from if they are all fit I just don’t think the board will stump up the required £10 million for another permanent striker without shipping someone out. Whether Theo Walcott is the answer, though, is to be doubted. I don’t see him as an out and out goalscorer. He rarely makes the Arsenal starting lineup. We’re not their nursery club. I vote no!

Spurs Want Robert Green

According to this morning’s Sun, Tottenham are about to make an offer for Rob Green. They value him at £6 million. Obviously I hope we and Rob Green himself tell them where to go. Indeed, it will be an interesting test for Green. Does he see us or them as a team likely to win things in the future? If Man U or Arsenal came in for him I could understand his head being turned. But Tottenham? He’d be mad. And then of course there’s the frightening prospect of Tottenham offering Paul Robinson in part exchange…

Should we go After Defoe?

Jermaine Defoe has announced that Ramos has told him he can leave White Hart Lane. He says he wants to stay, but if a new manager tells you you’re not wanted it’s a fair bet you’ll be gone pdq.

The big question is: should West Ham try to re-sign him? He’s a proven goalscorer and an England international. But can we forgive him for the manner of his leaving, and is he too similar to Craig Bellamy.

Over to you.

Hammers to get a Brazilian?

The Sun reports that West Ham are to make a £5 million move for Brazilian star Marcelo, currently with Panathinaikos. They reckon we’ll sell Hayden Mullins to fund the deal. Call me old fashioned, but I doubt whether old Hayden is in the £5 million bracket. He won’t need a work permit as he holds an Italian passport. The fly in the ointment? His adviser is our old friend Kia Joorabchian. Oh well, nice thought while it lasted.

Newcastle Can Keep Dyer

It looks like Kieron Dyer’s move south has been scuppered by the Newcastle chairman, who has tried to extort another £2 million out of West Ham. I hope Eggert Magnusson stands firm and doesn’t fall for this con trick. Dyer is very injury prone, and while he might be an England international, £8 million is way over the top for him, especially as the two clubs had already agreed a fee of £6 million. People seem to think that at West Ham money is now growing on trees. That impression needs to be dispelled.

The Summer Season

I was chatting to a friend on the gold course this afternoon and we reckoned that our overall spending had been pretty minimal this summer. So I thoiught I would indulge you all and list the ‘Ins’ and ‘Outs’ of the summer transfer season so far…

SOLD

Yossi Benayoun £5 million
Paul Konchesky £3 million
Nigel Reo Coker £8.5 million
Tyrone Mears £1 million
Teddy Sheringham Free
Roy Carroll Free
Shaun Newton

Total £17.5 million

BOUGHT

Scott Parker £7 million
Craig Bellamy £7.5 million
Richard Wright Free
Julien Faubert £6 million

Total £20.5 million

So, as I thought, Eggie has only had to shell out £2.5 million so far. It rather makes you wonder what he has got in mind for further pruchases, doesn’t it?

A nice £20 million striker and a top knotch left back and left winger wouldn’t go amiss.

Chris Cohen Moves to Forest

Former West Ham starlet Chris Cohen, who moved to Yeovil after failing to land a first team spot at Upton Park has moved to Nottingham Forest for a fee of around half a million pounds. I wonder if we had a sell on clause…

Defoe Bid Lodged With Spurs Today

This is only single-sourced, but it is from the same person who told me Calum Davenport was about to sign for us in January, so I passi ton for what it is worth. It seems Eggert Magnusson has lodged a sizeable bid with Spurs to ecure Jermain Defoe’s services. He knows Defoe is nervous about returning to West Ham because of the likely reaction from a section of the fans, but Magnusson is hoping it will be clear to him that he will be fourth in the running for a first team place at Spurs now they have signed Darren Bent.

I remain of the view that Defoe is a class player who would be a brilliant acquisition for us. He scored plenty of goals for Spurs last season despite not being in the team some of the time. He would provide a good contrast to Dean Ashton and ought to play well off him. I hope this rumour has some truth to it.

It’s All Gone a Bit Quiet…

Things seem to have gone rather quiet on the transfer front since the Bent snub. He’s signing for Tottenham tomorrow. I’d love to think we had a chance of signing Benni McCarthy but I suspect he will be setting his sights at Stamford Bridge. Eggert Magnusson has made clear we are after a pacy player and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Defoe move was reactivated. Yossi seems to be on his way to Liverpool and we are said to have tabled a £10 million bid for Shaun Wright Phillips. On his day he is a world beater but there are too may days when he is not on his day. Wayne Bridge and Nickhy Shorey are rumoured to be left back signings. Bridge is beyond his best so I hope we stick to Shorey for that position. In terms of players leaving, Marlon seems to be attracting the most interest and it looks as if we will get around £4 million for him. Reo Coker must be disappointed that a big club hasn’t come in for him and we are surely right to hold out for £8-10 million for him.

We’ll see what the coming week has in store…