May as well get going with this since with Sullivan at the helm, season ticket renewals slow, and the football vacuum to commence, this will soon be all the "news" there is.
Can Potter and MacCauley pull multiple rabbits out of the hat, or will Sullivan 'try really hard' with all of them before grabbing a few aging bargains from Big Willie Salthouse?
Window this close season comes in two parts:
Part 1: 1st June to 10th June
Part 2: 16th June to 1st September
Barty888 wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 20:25
Who do you want upfront?
Kaio George
Been offered to the club at 15m. Just received first Brazil squad selection. 6ft, strong like Aguero was. 23 years old.
Not the Brazilian lad. Even a cursory glance at that reel tells you he generally wants too many tricksy touches, and too much time, that he just won't get in the Premier League. If he starts playing that way away at Villa, Tyrone Mings will kick him into the stands. And then limp off with another injury.
Not that it matters, as its a YouTube video, but I genuinely wonder who puts them together. Often, these reels exhibit aspects of a player's game that scouts would laugh at.
It's tricky though. In the 15m price bracket your not remotely expecting the finished article. Really that's about raw materials. He's a product if his current environment, and that affords him those luxuries.
But we need to sign players in this bracket who aren't already finished articles at their peak but have the ceiling to be class.
This lad is strong, quick, scores off both feet, and will have a climbing valuation. Aspects of his game of course would need to improve. But is he better raw material to come on off the bench than, say, Callum Marshall....almost certainly. Would he immediately be first choice? No.
Rossal wrote: ↑29 Aug 2025, 07:48
No issue with Paqueta going if he is replaced. But ideally we get a no 10 in to compete with him and create.
A right sided CB is more of a need than a left sided one IMO
Summerville and Ghillurme back soon hopefully
Then a half decent striker on loan wouldnt go a miss!
I never get why clubs in our position don't max out the loan market to fill out the squad. Get into Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City for some loans
Because loans from Premier League clubs are generally expensive these days. You tend to pay a disproportionate loan fee for anybody decent, and teams are generally seeking to offload 100% (or close to it) of wages now that PSR is becoming a big sticking point for all clubs. So you end up loading up your own wage bill against PSR - for temporary players.
You can still get a decent deal, but it's a lot of work for a player who will be at the club for less than a year. Still reckon we should look at a few, though. Our position is precarious.
I disagree, the big clubs stockpile talent and they inflate their squads and the players want out to go and play. Therefore you get some decent quality players for a fraction of the cost.
As you say we are in a precarious position so filling out a few gaps with players from bigger clubs is a no brainer for me.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 29 Aug 2025, 08:01
by Mad Ferret
Loaning from other PL clubs seldom really benefits us.
Can only think of Lingard and Jenkinson (first season).
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 29 Aug 2025, 08:00
by onsideman
I see Sudakov is off to Benfica for half the fee that was mooted at the beginning of the window. Will be interesting to see how he gets on. I thought he was worth a punt... then again I was disappointed when we missed out on Patson Daka so wtfdik?
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 29 Aug 2025, 07:54
by southbankbornnbred
Rossal wrote: ↑29 Aug 2025, 07:48
No issue with Paqueta going if he is replaced. But ideally we get a no 10 in to compete with him and create.
A right sided CB is more of a need than a left sided one IMO
Summerville and Ghillurme back soon hopefully
Then a half decent striker on loan wouldnt go a miss!
I never get why clubs in our position don't max out the loan market to fill out the squad. Get into Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City for some loans
Because loans from Premier League clubs are generally expensive these days. You tend to pay a disproportionate loan fee for anybody decent, and teams are generally seeking to offload 100% (or close to it) of wages now that PSR is becoming a big sticking point for all clubs. So you end up loading up your own wage bill against PSR - for temporary players.
You can still get a decent deal, but it's a lot of work for a player who will be at the club for less than a year. Still reckon we should look at a few, though. Our position is precarious.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 29 Aug 2025, 07:48
by Rossal
No issue with Paqueta going if he is replaced. But ideally we get a no 10 in to compete with him and create.
A right sided CB is more of a need than a left sided one IMO
Summerville and Ghillurme back soon hopefully
Then a half decent striker on loan wouldnt go a miss!
I never get why clubs in our position don't max out the loan market to fill out the squad. Get into Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City for some loans
Barty888 wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 20:25
Who do you want upfront?
Kaio George
Been offered to the club at 15m. Just received first Brazil squad selection. 6ft, strong like Aguero was. 23 years old.
Not the Brazilian lad. Even a cursory glance at that reel tells you he generally wants too many tricksy touches, and too much time, that he just won't get in the Premier League. If he starts playing that way away at Villa, Tyrone Mings will kick him into the stands. And then limp off with another injury.
Not that it matters, as its a YouTube video, but I genuinely wonder who puts them together. Often, these reels exhibit aspects of a player's game that scouts would laugh at.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 29 Aug 2025, 07:32
by Mad Ferret
Sp*rs sign Xavi Simons for £60m.
What a signing btw, and typical that they’d push on after winning the Europa last year, whereas we went backwards after winning the Conference.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 29 Aug 2025, 06:51
by stubbo-admin
Barty888 wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 20:25
Who do you want upfront?
Kaio George
Been offered to the club at 15m. Just received first Brazil squad selection. 6ft, strong like Aguero was. 23 years old.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 29 Aug 2025, 00:15
by Gank
Mad Dog" wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 23:55
You'd think with the 3 day medicals we seem to give people they'd pick more of our injury prone signings.
Anyway im torn about paqueta going. On his day he is brilliant. But he loses the ball far too much and rolls around on the ground leaving us a player down. But we definitely need some sort of playmaker and that isnt jwp
I love Paqueta, because I'm trying to teach my kids why supporting West Ham who might never win a thing in their lifetime is a better option than supporting a team who are almost guaranteed to do so.
Agree that he needs to stop falling over waiting for a foul that won't come, but I can tolerate him giving the ball away so much because that's West Ham through and through, we'll always be that. Give the ball away 8 times, give away a goal, then score a world class one out of nothing.
Love it.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 23:55
by Mad Dog
You'd think with the 3 day medicals we seem to give people they'd pick more of our injury prone signings.
Anyway im torn about paqueta going. On his day he is brilliant. But he loses the ball far too much and rolls around on the ground leaving us a player down. But we definitely need some sort of playmaker and that isnt jwp
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 23:46
by nychammer
scott_d wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 21:39
It would be just our luck that these 2 decent midfielders will be signed to play alongside Soucek or JWP and not Paqeuta which could actually be quite exciting.
Chances are we'll be brought swiftly back down to earth by selling Paqueta to Spurs for a small fee.
Spurs and possibly others will test our resolve to keep Paqueta at the last minute for sure. They'll reckon being able to low ball Sullivan and there's a good chance they succeed. I'd loathe seeing two of our flair players go there
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 22:42
by Barty888
We need a commanding centre back who can head the ball and a proper striker for the first eleven aswell
We need to keep Paqueta and sign a Kudus replacement
Don't forget the two loan options! Hopefully we can use them well!
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 21:39
by scott_d
It would be just our luck that these 2 decent midfielders will be signed to play alongside Soucek or JWP and not Paqeuta which could actually be quite exciting.
Chances are we'll be brought swiftly back down to earth by selling Paqueta to Spurs for a small fee.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 21:01
by eusebiovic
Barty888 wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 20:25
Who do you want upfront?
Gueye first Dju second or both if possible
NOT Boniface - he has had very serious cruciate ligament injuries in BOTH knees...that never ends well for WH especially with our reputation for drop your pants and cough medicals...
Massive Attack" wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 19:09
It's the shocking due diligence at the Club by everyone that's been involved down the years that fucks me off. Whether it's medical history, piss poor professionalism, bad attitudes, bad form and the like, it appears we wing it a lot of the time hoping for the best and that there won't be any issues.
We just point blank refuse to invest in the structures and people to do that stuff well.
In fairness, as some alluded, I’ve no idea if we could have predicted Cornet’s long-term problem. Maybe not.
But your broader point about how everything on that side of the club is two-bob and archaic is spot on.
Portakabins in a world of mansions.
You say that, but then recalling Steidtens time he's had shocking due diligence on players. ven recently with Hermansen where the wisdom was to get in a Keeper for big money that just shipped a shit load of goals for a relegation Teamz swapped for another one who now finds itself unsurprisingly bottom of the League. Macauley, Steidten, they've hired new data analysts from what I can gather Hahn, Jones. Investment and expense has been there, it hasnt been non existent. Just shit thus far.
All fair points. I suspect Steidten was expensive. His taste in Lear jets certainly was!
Massive Attack" wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 20:26
Idrissa Gueye is almost 36 and another Denfensive Midfielder.
Knowing West Ham, they'd stump up £30M and a lucrative 10 year contract though to be fair.
Wrong one he's 19 I think
This is GSB/West Ham remember. They’ll fuck up the paperwork and spend fortunes on the wrong Gueye (see what I did there). It would be classic West Ham. Gold couldn't even get Obiang right when announcing him.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 20:39
by fraser
Massive Attack" wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 20:26
Idrissa Gueye is almost 36 and another Denfensive Midfielder.
Knowing West Ham, they'd stump up £30M and a lucrative 10 year contract though to be fair.
Wrong one he's 19 I think
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 20:31
by Barty888
Idrissa Gueye (born 16 September 2006) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Metz.
Massive Attack" wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 19:09
It's the shocking due diligence at the Club by everyone that's been involved down the years that fucks me off. Whether it's medical history, piss poor professionalism, bad attitudes, bad form and the like, it appears we wing it a lot of the time hoping for the best and that there won't be any issues.
We just point blank refuse to invest in the structures and people to do that stuff well.
In fairness, as some alluded, I’ve no idea if we could have predicted Cornet’s long-term problem. Maybe not.
But your broader point about how everything on that side of the club is two-bob and archaic is spot on.
Portakabins in a world of mansions.
You say that, but then recalling Steidtens time he's had shocking due diligence on players. ven recently with Hermansen where the wisdom was to get in a Keeper for big money that just shipped a shit load of goals for a relegation Teamz swapped for another one who now finds itself unsurprisingly bottom of the League. Macauley, Steidten, they've hired new data analysts from what I can gather Hahn, Jones. Investment and expense has been there, it hasnt been non existent. Just shit thus far.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 19:14
by southbankbornnbred
Massive Attack" wrote: ↑28 Aug 2025, 19:09
It's the shocking due diligence at the Club by everyone that's been involved down the years that fucks me off. Whether it's medical history, piss poor professionalism, bad attitudes, bad form and the like, it appears we wing it a lot of the time hoping for the best and that there won't be any issues.
We just point blank refuse to invest in the structures and people to do that stuff well.
In fairness, as some alluded, I’ve no idea if we could have predicted Cornet’s long-term problem. Maybe not.
But your broader point about how everything on that side of the club is two-bob and archaic is spot on.
Portakabins in a world of mansions.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 28 Aug 2025, 19:09
by Massive Attack
It's the shocking due diligence at the Club by everyone that's been involved down the years that fucks me off. Whether it's medical history, piss poor professionalism, bad attitudes, bad form and the like, it appears we wing it a lot of the time hoping for the best and that there won't be any issues.
