It was not that long ago David Moyes was comparing his West Ham side to Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
It’s easy to forget murmurings about the style of play under David Moyes at West Ham started before he led them to their only major trophy of the last 45 years.
Moyes admitted he failed to change West Ham to a possession-based team.
That almost cost them their status as a Premier League club as things got hairy in the season the Hammers lifted the Europa Conference League.
Much had been made of West Ham’s contentment at sitting off teams and trying to hit them on the counter attack.
Moyes was labelled a dinosaur for his tactics in a league full of Pep Guardiola disciples.
Moyes likened his West Ham to Simeone’s Atletico
The Scot defended his approach and pointed to the success of Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone as an inspiration and template for the Hammers, as reported by BBC Sport at the time.
Simeone had been criticised by the likes of Jurgen Klopp over his style of play around the same time Moyes was facing pressure about his own low-possession, low pass count, counter-attacking tactics.
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Ironically, fans across Europe have started to grow increasingly tired of the sideways and backwards Guardiola copycat style now.
It is anyone’s guess what Julen Lopetegui was trying to do with West Ham.
He was labelled a ‘Spanish Moyes’ for his tactics before being made the shortest-serving permanent Hammers boss ever.
Graham Potter has come in and, if truth be told, it has been an inauspicious start.
Graham Potter and David Sullivan.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Just three wins from 10 games – albeit one of them at rivals Arsenal – and some questionable performances mean the jury will remain out until Potter makes the team his own next season.
To do that he will need to sell players this summer in order to fund arrivals.
West Ham plan to raise well over £100m in player sales.
A number of players are available for other clubs to buy.
But if a new Simeone claim is true then Potter must take action at West Ham.
The Hammers were linked with a conveyor belt of players in the January window, with a host of their own players linked with departures too.
One of those was Brazilian teen Luis Guilherme.
West Ham paid Palmeiras £20.5m for Brazil Under 20 star Guilherme in the summer.
But he has played just 50 minutes for the club this season.
If Simeone claim is true then Potter must take action at West Ham
The deal, along with signings such as Niclas Fullkrug and Guido Rodriguez, was cited as one of the reasons former technical director Tim Steidten was sacked.
West Ham were hawking Guilherme out to clubs in the winter window.
Indeed Potter is the reason Guilherme is even still at West Ham.
The Hammers hierarchy were said to be willing to sell the young Brazilian winger for £20 million in the January window.
But Potter insisted Guilherme should stay at West Ham, in spite of late interest from Feyenoord and some Saudi and Brazilian clubs.
Soccer News have claimed the board still want to get rid of the 19-year-old this summer, though, with Feyenoord working on a deal.
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Hammers should take the hint from excellent judge Simeone
The club are now demanding £25 million for the young Brazilian, but the Dutch side prefer a loan deal with an option to buy him next summer.
But there’s been a twist with news from Spain.
According to the likes of Football Espana, Simeone wants Guilherme at Atletico Madrid and believes he will fit in perfectly with his side.
Well that should be enough on its own for Potter to resist selling the young star at all.
Simeone is an excellent judge of players – as has been proved time and again during his incredible Atletico dynasty.
If he thinks Guilherme is good enough to come into his Atletico squad or team then he is more than good enough for West Ham.
Potter has even been accused of employing similar counter-attacking tactics to Moyes in some games so far.
Even more reason then to keep a young player wanted by the master of that approach to football.
This is where Potter must take action and stand up to the owners.
If he does rate Guilherme as reported, then he has to dig his heels in and try to get him to realise his potential in east London not Madrid.