One would think that **West Ham** and [David Sullivan’s](https://www.claretandhugh.info/david-sullivan-bio/) long-standing relationship with Will Salthouse might have helped the club in their attempts to sign Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey.
After all, with the Unique Sports boss known to be ‘friendly’ with the Sullivans, it’d be reassuring to know we’re not just being fed cast-offs, injury-prone veterans, or free [transfers](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-transfer-news/) from the agency’s bargain bin.
To be fair, while Callum Wilson feels like something plucked from the reduced aisle, Aaron Wan-Bissaka—also a Salthouse client—was certainly a cut above, more in the ‘Finest’ range.
I genuinely hope Wilson proves me wrong and shines in claret and blue, but the suspicion remains: Would we have signed him under any other agent?
Graham Potter is known to be keen to add a dynamic midfielder to his squad, and Ramsey ticks all the right boxes. He even scored for Villa in pre-season yesterday, which has only fuelled speculation that he’s unsure about a move to the London Stadium.
This is where Salthouse should come in, right? Surely the benefit of West Ham’s ‘special relationship’ with Unique Sports is to help get these kinds of deals over the line.
If we can’t even secure the best of the Salthouse clients, then one has to ask—what’s the point in the relationship at all?
Because if all we’re getting is the leftovers, West Ham might want to reconsider what exactly we’re signing up for.