Going in to a 'compressed fixtures' season with a light weight squad was always going to be a tall ask for David Moyes, and so it came to pass with long term injuries to two of his most trusted first teamers, Michail Antonio and Authur Masuaku, each one a linch pin in the team he had forged using the Moyes template.
The club have confirmed that West Ham United have signed Danish centre-back Frederik Alves for an undisclosed fee, probably around £1.5 Million, from Danish club Silkeborg. The U21 international will join up officially on the 2nd of January 2021. Alves spent the past three-and-a-half years with Silkeborg and made 48 senior appearances.
Chelsea: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell, Kante, Jorginho, Werner, Mount, Pulisic, Abraham. Subs: Arrizabalaga, Rudiger, Christensen, Kovacic, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Gilmour, Havertz, Emerson.
West Ham: Fabianski, Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Noble, Rice, Soucek, Fornals, Haller, Bowen. Subs: Martin, Randolph, Yarmolenko, Benrahma, Snodgrass, Dawson, Diop, Fredericks, Johnson.
West Ham and David Moyes are doing their best to recruit additional 'hungry' players to the squad once the January transfer window opens, high on the list is the need for a left back. Other areas need strengthening, but it is the troublesome left back berth that is hardest to fill.
Most fans are as baffled by how FFP doesn't seem to apply to the 'big' clubs as they are about the circumstances regarding the unfair 'tapping up' of players, again involving the 'big' clubs, there is legislation in the FA rule book covering the issue, unfortunately it was made BEFORE the advent of social media and it's ubiquitous spin offs and as such is no longer fit for purpose!
It appears that Hammers boss, David Moyes' 'mole hunting', is beginning to pay dividends as for once there is only speculation regarding players' fitness issues, as opposed to info straight from the horses mouth as it had been. You may wonder what the problem is?
Dear old 'arry Redknapp would always reference the fact that his squad was "down to the bare bones" during his tenure as West Ham United manager, funnily enough the 'BB' reference was always used more just ahead of the January transfer window, as if to remind the board that they would shortly need to put their hands in their pockets.
Well, the manager has changed but the situation hasn't, going in to the crucial and frenetic Christmas and new year games schedule, present incumbent David Moyes is having to cope with injuries to key layers on an increasingly alarming scale!
West Ham: Fabianski, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Coufal, Rice, Soucek, Fornals, Benrahma, Bowen, Haller Subs: Randolph, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Snodgrass, Dawson, Noble, Fredericks
Palace: Guaita, Ward, Van Aanholt, Dann, Kouyate, McArthur, Townsend, Milivojevic, Eze, Zaha, Benteke Subs: Butland, Tomkins, Ayew, Schlupp, Batshuayi, Mitchell, Riedewald
Ex-Hammers manager Slaven Billic has been sacked by West Bromwich Albion, after 18 months in charge, with the club 19th in the Premier League. The Baggies have only gathered seven points from 13 league games, with eight defeats, though they earned a surprise 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday. Billic is the first coach to be sacked so far in the Barclays Premier League this season.
One man's loss, another's gain, after being starved of success, French clubs had hoped they would be revitalised by an unprecedented TV rights deal worth more than €1.15bn per year (€814m a year from Mediapro and €330m from BeIN Sports). It was the second largest TV deal in Europe, but hopes finally disappeared this week, pushing French football to the brink of financial ruin.