Pin the Donkey, or more correctly Pin the Tail On The Donkey, was a game played by generations of kids in gentler times, when there were no mobile phones, computers nor the dreaded 'soshul' media! The game involved being blind folded, spun around and then released with pin in hand to stick it in the target, which was a Donkey's 'Arse'nal!
The dialogue associated with footie transfers is unique but short on originality, hence the transfer window 'slamming shut' in 11 days time instead of just being closed. Players are regularly 'linked to West Ham', about every striker with a pulse has been linked with West Ham of late and finally the big IF or BUT(T).
Lyon have joined all the other teams in Ligue 1, except PSG, in preparing a fire sale of nearly half their first team squad, 18-year-old attacker Rayan Cherki and former Leicester City striker Islam Slimani are both to be made available for transfer as Lyon desperately try to balance their books by starting their sale ahead of what could well become a glut of clubs wishing to hawk their wares to the 'rich' clubs in England.
Without wishing to put the commentator's curse on proceedings, Premier League clubs will be excited by the prospect of signing Ligue 1 players as a result of the continuing impact of the failed TV deal, but will have to act quickly. One player who became available due to 'Frogate' was Stade de Reims’ Boulaye Dia, unfortunately Villarreal CF snapped him up, which has however meant that Luuk de Jong has fallen down the pecking order and has 'expressed an interest' in leaving the Europa League winners.
One by one Hammers transfer targets seem to be slipping through the club's hands as the transfer window enters it's last 11 days, but just like the limbs of lizards, geckos and iguanas, rumours about transfer targets simply grow again as soon as the old ones die!
There have been so many players supposedly on Hammers radar that fans must be feeling like air traffic controllers, as they sieve through endless drivel about targets 'linked' with the club. Interesting expression 'linked', it can be used ubiquitously in order to mask a multitude of nefarious information, it usually preceeds this well known phrase which is taken from the West Ham hierarchy's coat of arms "Habent, habere possent, ut".
It is pretty obvious to most fans that Hammers transfer business, if any, is going to be conducted on or around the last day of the transfer window. It really will be a 'last turkey in the shop' situation, except this is the summer window, but the jeopardy remains the same.
Tottingham or at least their agents, phone tappers included, seem to know an awful lot about Hammers transfer targets. Perhaps the Hierarchy at the London Bowl should organise a security sweep for hidden devices, after all it's not unheard of for a bit of 'sneak listening to be sanctioned by certain parties is it?
Nigel Winterburn's name is synonimous with Arsenal football club, which is enrirely understandable given that he played nearly 500 games for the Gunners, however he also played 94 games for West Ham after joining the club in 2000 before eventually retiring in 2003.
Hammers recruitment, or lack of it, is a continuing bone of contention among the majority of fans, the need for an additional striker, centre back and central defensive midfielder is as blatant as a tapped call instigated by Daniel Levy! Having been 'linked' with a plethora of players from many different clubs for each 'vacancy' the club have as yet overtly appeared to have done very little as the transfer window closure looms.