David Sullivan puts West Ham handbrake on after Mads Hermansen signing
West Ham have undergone a modest summer, with Mads Hermansen among the signings in East London.
Hermansen arrived at the London Stadium from Leicester City for a reported £20million and started in the Hammers’ woeful Premier League opener against Sunderland.
Other than the goalkeeper, El Hadji Malick Diouf was signed from Slavia Prague for £19m, while Jean-Clair Todibo joined permanently for £35m.
This summer, the spending has been down from previous summers, meaning David Sullivan is perhaps being pickier about his deals.
This story includes exclusive comment from football finance expert Dr Daniel Plumley.
West Ham face quiet transfer window at London Stadium
West Ham’s defeat to Sunderland was a stark wake-up call about just how short they are in terms of quality.
However, it remains to be seen whether the result will force Sullivan to dip his hands back into his pockets.
Now, football finance expert Dan Plumley has provided insight on the Irons’ spending this summer.
“Yes, it would seem that way, and I think a lot of the time they’re looking at what other clubs are doing as well,” he exclusively told West Ham Zone when asked if Sullivan is being frugal with his spending.
“And you’ve got West Ham in that group of mid-table Premier League clubs, but never ultimately safe from one bad season.
“They know where they are against some of those rivals, and if you look at some of those clubs, Fulham haven’t spent big, Crystal Palace have hardly spent anything, Bournemouth have had loads of outgoings, but not many incomings.
- Bournemouth have sold several key players
- Crystal Palace could lose their star men before the window closes
- Fulham have hardly conducted any business
“Yes, the three promoted teams have spent, but you will be in that group of clubs where you’re looking at, right, what is everybody else doing here? And that actually might then dictate your strategy to a degree as well.
“I think there’s that in the background with this kind of pocket of mid-table Premier League teams in terms of where their budget is, but also these things often come in cycles with clubs.
“If you have had a big outlay one summer or in one particular window, you might be a little bit quieter in the next, and it’s just the nature of it, because ultimately, the big clubs are too far away to even begin to compete with.
“So you’ve got to play your own game a little bit, and that again seems to be what West Ham have looked at this particular window, and not going as big as they went last time.”
Read more: Gary Lineker says West Ham star had ‘awful debut’ vs Sunderland but there’s a silver lining
Does Sullivan need to inject money into Potter’s squad?
While it is clear that Potter needs more quality within his West Ham squad, it does not mean he will get it.
Hermansen and Diouf were the only new signings to grace the Stadium of Light in a team that looked exhausted.
Jarrod Bowen again was a rare bright spark in a team that did not look up for the fight in the second half.
Lucas Paqueta was at his worst, while Niclas Fullkrug failed to build on his positive pre-season for the Hammers.
Yes, West Ham need investment, but what is concerning is how many areas of the pitch need strengthening.
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