{"id":1151089,"date":"2020-12-06T12:57:35","date_gmt":"2020-12-06T12:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1151089"},"modified":"2020-12-06T12:57:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-06T12:57:55","slug":"west-ham-signing-big-six-transfer-strategy","status":"publish","type":"cult-corner","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/cult-corner\/west-ham-signing-big-six-transfer-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is West Ham\u2019s most \u2018West Ham signing’ in the Premier League era?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In football, some signings just feel right. Liverpool<\/span> and a Southampton<\/span> player? Of course. Juventus and a world-class freebie? Yes. West Ham<\/span> and a ‘Big Six’ fringe player? We have a winner.<\/b><\/p>\n

The Hammers have long harboured ambitions of gatecrashing the \u2018Big Six\u2019 party in the Premier League, and with that, have often adopted a transfer strategy of signing from those they seek to join at this exclusive dinner table.<\/p>\n

With the history, fanbase and a now highly-gentrified \u2018football\u2019 stadium, there is no reason why the Hammers should not be in the conversation when it comes to talk of European football and a top-six ticket.<\/p>\n

But, where other clubs break the glass ceiling through an astute transfer policy, shrewd managerial appointments, and a fruitful scouting network, West Ham have often fallen short in all three departments, and a common theme emerges when glancing at their imports during the Premier League era.<\/p>\n

What is a ‘West Ham signing’?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In some quarters of the club’s fanbase, the term \u2018a West Ham signing\u2019 has entered the vernacular; when looking at a particular transfer rumour, there is an obligatory roll of the eyes and a puff of the cheeks at the predictability of such-and-such being linked.<\/p>\n

They usually come in the form of a has-been, \u2018Big Six\u2019 cannon fodder or an extremely injury-prone player. Or to paraphrase Zinedine Zidane’s Bentley analogy when Real Madrid<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>replaced Claude Makelele with David Beckham in 2003: “It’s like buying a nice car without an engine.” In other words, prioritising style over substance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes they work out; sometimes the experience and prestige of a ‘name’ elevates the dressing room and galvanises the terraces, but more often than not, they simply don\u2019t have the desired effect.<\/p>\n

Recent ‘Big Six’ fringe men to be linked with the Hammers include Phil Jones and Jesse Lingard<\/a>. Make no mistake, both (certainly in Lingard\u2019s case) would improve West Ham<\/span> in some aspect. Jones, for all his misgivings, is still only 28 and was once dubbed Man Utd<\/span>\u2019s \u2018best-ever\u2019 prospect by Sir Alex Ferguson himself.<\/p>\n

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Lingard, too, is still only 27 \u2014 cue the jokes about him still being a young player with great potential \u2014 and would add a great depth of versatility and creativity to the final third for West Ham. But, their transfer strategy over the past two decades or so should function as a cautionary tale when recruiting \u2018Big Six\u2019 outcasts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

History is littered with examples of West Ham signing from the \u2018Big Six\u2019, or freebies of previous \u2018Big Six\u2019 clubs, only to see those acquisitions fall flat when it becomes apparent they simply cannot recapture their peak years in the claret and blue jersey.<\/p>\n

Here, we chronicle the best examples of a \u2018West Ham signing’ in the Premier League<\/span> era, determining whether they were a hit or a miss. Spoiler alert, the misses far outweigh the hits.<\/p>\n

The misses<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lucas Perez<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Signed from:<\/strong> Arsenal<\/span><\/p>\n

Fee: <\/strong>\u00a34m<\/p>\n

Appearances:<\/strong>\u00a015<\/p>\n

For the price tag, this looked a promising signing from Arsenal<\/span>, to herald the start of what was supposed to be a bright new era under Manuel Pellegrini. However, the Spaniard lasted just one season, making four Premier League<\/span> starts as the Hammers<\/span> finished 10th in 2018\/19, before leaving for Deportivo Alaves.<\/p>\n

Jack Wilshere\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Get used to seeing Jack Wilshere in Claret & Blue \u2764\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/AUfFcze6je<\/a><\/p>\n

— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 22, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n