Stuart Pearce claims West Ham must ‘hand over’ more influence to David Moyes on transfer
West Ham United need to bring in at least three players, but David Moyes needs to be trusted more to handle transfers, according to Stuart Pearce.
Speaking live in talkSPORT (4 August), the Hammers legend claims the board at the club should consult with Moyes more and be more active in pursuing his targets.
With rumblings of discontent among the West Ham hierarchy and a tricky negotiation with Southampton for James Ward-Prowse, Pearce also claims sporting director Tim Steidten must work with Moyes to learn about the league and the club.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Pearce said: “What you’ve got to understand as well, it’s not just the valuation of Ward-Prowse, it’s the implications of if they put money down on two, three or four other players.
“I think West Ham, as they stand at the moment, need to bring anywhere between three to five players. That wouldn’t be outlandish and is probably what they need to bolster the squad and bolster the team.
“Don’t forget David Moyes might be the one saying that he’s uncomfortable paying that sort of money for X, Y or Z player. Some managers sit and think, ‘It’s not my money, I don’t care’.
“I think with what Dave’s done at this football club and the type of man he is and how he manages a football club, and I’ve seen it first hand, I would just hand over and ask him for recommendation, valuations and go and get players for him.
“To be fair to Tim Steidten, he’s just come into this country. He should be looking around and getting a working relationship with Mark Noble and David Moyes, more importantly. From there, understanding the league a little bit more, potentially.”
Time for calm
At a time of great pressure for West Ham, now is the time for the hierarchy to band together and commit to a convincing transfer strategy, if it’s not already too late.
The lack of signings so far has become something of a running joke which must be rectified as soon as possible and could be with Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay reportedly (4 August) having long-distance medicals to join the club.
However, Pearce’s claim that Moyes should be consulted more rings true as it seems too many opinions and differing targets are getting in the way of incomings.
Moyes would have likely been consulted regarding transfers, but from the outside the lack of organisation and planning only reflects a poor strategy from the off.
The James Ward-Prowse situation embodies this, with Moyes reportedly very keen on the midfielder causing him to press the board to complete the deal.
Reinvesting such a large fee from the Declan Rice sale was always going to be difficult and rife with controversy, but making any signings is better than making absolutely none.
However, with rumours before the end of last season that Moyes could be sacked even if they won their European final, perhaps the board do not have faith that the Scot will be at the club long-term, and therefore perhaps do not want to consider his targets.
While the window remains open, West Ham must keep themselves busy.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have reportedly cooled their interest in their Juventus midfield target.