West Ham tipped to raid ‘big clubs’ for January signings after Kretinsky message is made public – pundit
Noel Whelan has tipped West Ham to raid the loan market in January after Daniel Kretinsky told fans not to expect “big spending”.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the Hammers could spread their funds by taking advantage of temporary deals.
In a column for the Evening Standard (25th November), Kretinsky insisted he wants to “manage supporters’ expectations” after investing in the Irons.
As such, he said fans should not expect the club to break the bank on new additions in the winger window.
However, Whelan insisted that would not stop the Hammers from sourcing exciting loan signings to bolster David Moyes’ side.
Whelan told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “When they say big spending, they might not laying out £20-30million.
“They might be looking at some loan deals to bring in to bolster the squad. We know what January is like as a window. You really don’t want to bring too many in and disrupt that cohesion they have in the changing room.
“If they feel like they’ve got the backup, or they’ve got players coming through, young players they can turn to and feel that that squad’s in a really good healthy position, there’s no reason why you need to change too much.
“But there are loan deals out there that I’m sure they’re looking at. When they say not spending, it’s probably going to be like most teams. There are going to be players surplus to requirements at big clubs they could get in.
“They could bolster, they could strengthen and they could improve their chances in both Europe and in the Premier League.
“I wouldn’t read too much into what he’s saying regarding spending money. I’m sure they’ll be looking to improve and bring in whoever’s available at a good price.
“Usually loan deals are the way forward in January because you can never get your main target. If you do, you’ve got to pay over the odds.”
West Ham have signed Tomas Soucek and Jesse Lingard on loan in the last two January windows respectively.
The Irons currently sit fourth in the Premier League table.
In other news, pundit fears for “jinxed” Michail Antonio at West Ham after Moyes latest.