Adrian Durham blames West Ham for letting Arsenal into top four
West Ham have themselves to blame for Arsenal making it into the top four of the Premier League by not signing anyone in January says Adrian Durham.
The Hammers are currently sitting in sixth but having played more games than most of the teams around them.
The club have been criticised for not bringing in any reinforcements during the transfer window, where club-record bids for Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Darwin Nunez all failed.
Speaking on talkSPORT, on a clip posted to their Twitter account, Durham coupled managerial upheaval at Manchester United and Tottenham with the Irons’ lack of transfer success, saying: “West Ham didn’t invest in January.
“Here’s the thing, Arsenal wouldn’t be anywhere near fourth place if West Ham had bought two players in January.
“They didn’t. You can ask all your own questions about recruitment, etc.
“Arsenal have fully taken advantage of it.”
Yes and no
Durham has half a point, in that West Ham would likely be better off if they had brought in some back up for worn-down starters.
There is no guarantee that David Moyes would still have his side in the Champions League places, but it seemed like the perfect time to consolidate the good work of the early-season.
Despite the weak efforts in the FA Cup since the new year, the manager actually has his side in reasonable form results-wise, and they are not out of the European argument.
But the talkSPORT man’s point somewhat falls down when you consider that Arsenal actually were fourth on New Year’s Day, despite losing to Manchester City.
It was largely a matter of having multiple games postponed that saw them drop down the table.
The Hammers would perhaps have been better able to fortify themselves against competition from other chasers by providing some competition for the likes of Michail Antonio, but Arsenal still basically had it in their own hands.
In other West Ham news, the chances of a move for Marcus Rashford have been set out.
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