It seems as though the excuses are already being prepared for the likely failure to land a Premier League-quality defender in [West Ham’s](https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-need-players-nuno-calls-sullivans-bluff-on-transfers/) most important transfer window in years.
Facing the financial and professional disaster of relegation from the richest league in the world, with no coherent plan and no capable recruitment head, the Hammers limp into the last 24 hours of the winter window still without a centre-back signing secured.
“_We tried_” is the all too familiar refrain used in past windows as the excuse for not bringing players to the club: David Sullivan’s lowball strategy used as a smokescreen by attempting to kid supporters that there was genuine intent to buy rather than merely to provide window dressing.
A weak loan bid back in the summer for Charlie Cresswell was swiftly rejected even after West Ham had the Nayef Aguerd cash available to buy the player. _“We tried”._
A £12 million rejected bid this window for Harwood Bellis is the classic ‘_we tried’_ fail just waiting to be wheeled out.
And it seems the ground work was already being prepared before the window had shut, according to a _hammers.news_ article yesterday afternoon claiming an ‘encouraging five word pledge’ from the board concerning deadline day dealings:
“_We are trying like mad_” was the claim from within the club.
And you can guarantee it’ll be adapted to ‘_We tried_‘ if last minute efforts amount to nothing. It’s all too predictable and it won’t wash with West Ham fans who know exactly who is to blame. With no Director of Football, Sullivan has put himself front and centre of transfer dealings.
And the results speak for themselves. Nine out, three in. Two of whom are strikers and one is Nuno’s jaded winger favourite. Hardly a squad rebalanced to fight for Premier League survival, is it. I’d love to be writing later about how wrong I was. But the experience -and the disappointments – gained from over half a century of being a Hammer tends to suggest otherwise.