Nikola Vlasic form with Torino shows that maybe David Moyes is the problem at West Ham United
It has not been a good season so far at West Ham by any stretch of the imagination, and decisions that were made in the summer aren’t look bright either.
West Ham brought in eight first-team signings this summer but so far none have really hit the ground running and lit up the pitch, as the Hammers have suffered five defeats in their opening seven Premier League games.
But to make matters even worse, David Moyes and the club opted to make big decisions with outgoing transfers and they don’t seem to have added confidence to the fans over decision making currently.
The big, obvious decision was to let Nikola Vlasic leave on a season-long loan to Serie A club Torino, with an option to buy worth around £13m – exactly half of what they paid for him just 12 months earlier.
Vlasic had plenty of opportunities at the London Stadium last year during his only season with the club, but was never first choice and was always behind wingers Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma in the pecking order.
The Croatian managed 31 appearances in all competitions but registered just one goal and two assists, which likely justified Moyes’ decision to leave him out constantly.
But since leaving and joining Torino, he has managed three goals in seven games playing as a more attacking midfielder and that has led to suggestions that it could be Moyes’ system and structure restricting these players.
The same happened with Sebastien Haller, who joined after a great season with Frankfurt but then struggled in London and left after less than two full seasons at the club for a fraction of the £42.5m he was signed for.
Since leaving though he went to Ajax and showed an incredible ability to score goals, shining in the UEFA Champions League and earning a move to Borussia Dortmund this summer too.
After spending big on Maxwel Cornet, Gianluca Scamacca and Lucas Paqueta this summer, the Hammers have managed just three league goals in seven games and there is a concern that they’re not playing in a way that brings the best out of those players.
At some point their performances stop becoming a shock and you have to start questioning the conditions the manager is giving them to play to their best.
If something doesn’t change quickly, the pressure will continue to rise and Moyes will have big questions to answer despite his great job in charge up to this point.