Quote from the aeticle: "There was also a feeling the January transfer window was a missed opportunity with deals to be done, but the only deal Moyes wanted to proceed with was Kalvin Phillips' loan from Manchester City."
I know you have to take all reports with a pinch of salt but that paragraph is fairly damning. We needed bodies but he only wanted Phillips after letting letting Benny and Pablo go and other deals could have been done.
While I'm not excited about Loppy coming in I do have high hopes that Timmy can fill out the squad ready for next season.
by alexsbrett
6 Comments
I don’t think it’s too much of a coincidence that the entire time Moyes was with us he worked with very small squads. He even said himself he only wants the right player in and would rather go without.
Just heard Jacob Steinberg say that the January window felt similar to the window before Moyes came, where it seemed like Sullivan was saving his money for the next manager to come in. I can certainly see the logic in that, if it’s true.
It’s too convenient to pin the blame for January on Moyes. No manager who knows they’re fighting for their next contract let’s their two most-used subs walk with no replacement lined up. January was a long-term decision, why would Moyes have been incentivised to do that?
That window would have got most managers fired
From the bits a pieces I’ve heard and seen it feels like January went like this (to me)
– Moyes said he had a contract on the table but wanted to wait until end of the season. My feeling is that this contract was for him to be head coach and relinquish transfer control he wanted to do well in league and Europa and have that offer change to manager role
– because Moyes wanted to wait the board have said ok but we aren’t going to be throwing big money at signings for you if we aren’t sure you’re going to renew then we’d have to try and offload them if they don’t fit new manager. So we went for loans and Philips was Moyes priority loan.
If for example we got a cb Moyes wanted he wouldn’t be prioritizing ball playing ability he’d want a Dawson or zouma type who can just defend, lopetgui by the sounds of it (I haven’t studied his preferences to know exactly) wants cbs who can play the ball. Now Moyes leave lopetgui comes in we have 2 cbs who can’t play in what lopetgui wants to do either he’s stuck with them and his system doesn’t work because it breaks down at literally the first point of contact with cb passing or we have to flog them off and try and find 2 more cbs than what we are already gonna need.
It was right of west ham to not spend big if Moyes did have a contract he wouldn’t sign.
This has been reported before. I have definitely read it in other places. Moyes – for God knows what reason – vetoed all the players that Steidten tried to bring in this January.
I actually remember being optimistic about Phillips, as there was definitely a need for another defensive midfielder given Alvarez’s tendency to get suspended. But making him the only transfer, when there were at least three players needing to be replaced, and the team was facing twice weekly games for the next few months, was just plain stupid.