Anyone who remembers David Moyes’s time at Man United will have spotted similarities with West Ham’s summer.
Into August with no signings and panic sets in with two bids for players at the same club. No, it’s not Manchester United’s summer transfer window from ten years ago, but West Ham’s current window.
The common denominator isDavid Moyes. He has at least progressed from that risible joint bid of £28million for Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini as the offers for Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay were separate.
West Ham also seem poised to sign Edson Alvarez from Ajax, so the wait for a first addition will not be as long as Fellaini’s deadline night arrival.
But Moyes remains a ditherer. At Everton, fɑɴȿ became familiar with the six-stage process of Moyes’s transfer strategy: Track. Mull. Ponder. Consider. Plot. Dither. “Dithering Dave” has stuck with Moyes at the London Stadium.
Also read:United receiving data from Greenwood’s training sessions
He is also predictable. West Ham are the only reputable Premier League club that were bound to be in for Maguire and they have had a £30m offer accepted. Moyes remains a stickler for British workhorses and the only surprise with the offer for McTominay was that it was sent so late.
McTominay is Scottish and his agent, Colin Murdock, played under Moyes at Preston North єɴԀ. West Ham’s interest was inevitable after Declan Rice took Lines Jubilee and Piccadilly to Arsenal.
In fairness to Moyes, he has encountered internal conflict at West Ham. Rob Newman, the head of recruitment, has been usurped by the new technical director Tim Steidten.
Steidten has reputedly recommєɴԀed continental targets whereas Moyes favours Premier League-proven options. Moyes wants James Ward-Prowse and West Ham were unsuccessful with a £40m offer for Conor Gallagher at Chelsea. That’s another two British midfielders.
United are in unchartered territory, receiving packages worth £60m for two players after almost every squad member this time last year was unsellable. Even Cristiano Ronaldo could not turn heads in any of the major leagues.
For once, United are not the club had over a barrel. McTominay was never pencilled in as a sale and Kobbie Mainoo’s ankle ιɴjυɾу means only a truly compelling offer would alter United’s stance.
Maguire, however, was down to be sold as far back as the winter. United have handled his situation sensitively and Erik ten Hag maintains he is a valued squad member. The onus has always been on Maguire to decide whether he stays or goes, as Ten Hag has repeatedly stressed.
For some time, Maguire and his entourage have been in denial over his future. There was rancour over the suggestion he could be sold the evening before United played their Europa League quarter-final second leg in Seville. Maguire’s intercepted pass sparked a 3-0 trouncing.
Being stripped of the captaincy was a more significant blow for Maguire than his demotion after two games last season and has prompted a shift. He could also do without the pantomime crowds who are not representative of United’s hardcore fanbase.
Maguire has had a tumultuous couple of years and the barracking that followed him across the Atlantic to Dublin was unjust. True United supporters appreciate the improvement of the defence that Maguire oversaw in his first season and curse his absence for the Europa League final in 2021.
He was rumbled in 2021-22, when United approached that season as would-be championship challengers. Maguire was good enough for an unsuccessful United side but not a successful one.
Maguire could have been forgiven for thinking twice about West Ham. One Premier League manager has left before the season has started in Julen Lopetegui at Wolves and already Moyes is high up on bookies’ chalkboards to be the next to go.
Then again, look at how revitalised Jesse Lingard was under Moyes during his productive loan with West Ham in 2021. Now Lingard is clubless after many would say placing avarice over ambition.
In retrospect, Moyes maybe should have walked after the high of securing a first major trophy in the Europa Conference League final. Rice has gone, Moyes’s coaching staff is depleted after the departures of Mark Warburton and Paul Nevin while there is mounting uncertainty over the futures of several players.
West Ham єɴԀed last season on 40 points and already a drop-off is foreseeable with another campaign of Thursday-night football scheduled.
United didn’t even get that pay-off after their season under Moyes.
