West Ham United had a stunning transfer window in the summer of 2015 and Slaven Bilic was being hailed as a genius in getting the best players for economical fees. Fast forward the clock to a year, and it was a totally different case. West Ham went for quality and though they were players with a decent amount of pedigree, no one really hit the ground running and the team struggled early on.
The shift to a new stadium didn’t help either and there was an edginess to the fans which was understandable as the team was massively punching below their weight. Bilic has had to experiment quite a lot this season and there have been a tonne of formation changes to get the best out of the team and find the right balance. While that has helped the team eventually, a more cautious approach in the transfer market could reap dividends for the remainder of the season.
West Ham haven’t gone for big names and the signings of Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte will undoubtedly add more balance to the team. While Fonte’s addition was imperative considering the Hammers haven’t been consistent defensively, Snodgrass will add more depth in attack and could even be a direct replacement for Payet who is almost out of the club.
The reason why West Ham were successful last season was they stuck to the basics. With signings who have been acclimatised to the Premier League, there is a low risk of them failing in the coming months, well at least not as bad as the likes of Gokhan Tore and Simone Zaza who have been rank average so far. The styles of the two acquisitions also bring a lot of normalcy.
Snodgrass, although is more of an inverted winger, plied his trade in the Championship for most part of his career and knows the English game inside out. His relies on his footwork and has a wicked delivery which will only help Andy Carroll improve his output.
Jose Fonte has been around for a long time as well. His spell at Southampton was highly successful and he’ll not only add more experience to the backline but also the reliability considering how consistent he was at the back for the Saints. They might not be big-name transfers, but the duo could make West Ham a better team and perhaps help them make a late dash for the Europa League spots.
