Hammers boss David Moyes has sent a clear message to the West Ham owners about a lack of squad depth after what he saw first hand. West Ham have the joint-smallest squad in the Premier League comprising 22 players.
The team they share that position with are Manchester City. But whereas they have 22 top class players, the Hammers simply do not. David Moyes and the West Ham owners have also built the second oldest squad in the league behind Fulham.
Moyes was heralded for the way in which he managed his West Ham squad across different competitions in the previous two seasons.
This season, though, he clearly does not trust his back-up players and rarely uses them. Just ask Danny Ings, Maxwel Cornet, Ben Johnson and co.
West Ham squad blame game
That’s understandable to some degree because we have all seen the steep drop off in performance levels and results when West Ham have been forced to make several changes.
As a result the same 11 or 12 players have been worked into the ground. West Ham have looked exhausted from about 60 minutes of games recently – most notably against Spurs and Newcastle.
Tired minds and legs cost West Ham dear at Bayer Leverkusen too as two late sloppy goals left them with a mountain to climb.
West Ham fans have known from the outset the squad is not big or good enough in key areas. Now it seems the manager wants to make sure the Hammers hierarchy know too.
Moyes has sent a clear message to the West Ham owners about a lack of squad depth.
Moyes sends clear message to owners
Speaking ahead of the crucial clash with Fulham, the Scot dropped very interesting comments about the depth of the Bayer Leverkusen and Fulham squads compared to his.
“There was huge disappointment with how the match (vs Leverkusen) ended because the players had done a great job,” Moyes said, as reported on the club’s official website.
“They worked really hard to keep a good team down, but we knew Leverkusen were very strong and have 16, 17 players who they play and who are very much part of the squad and Xabi Alonso has used them all year. They came on late in the game and made that little bit of difference.
“The last time we played Fulham we were well beaten by a good team, no doubt about that, and we know we’re up against a good side, a good manager, and we’ll have to play really well.
“Fulham have got a lot of really good players and we’ll have to be at our best.” West Ham have the eighth highest net spend in the Premier League over the last five years at £233.5m.
Steidten can solve the problem
And bar last summer Moyes has had complete control over how that money was spent. So it’s more than partially on him how this current squad has been constructed.
The manager’s comments on Leverkusen having “16 or 17 players who they play and who are very much part of the squad” are particularly notable.
That feels like a direct message to the owners that Moyes does not feel he has the same at West Ham.
That is essentially having 16 or 17 first team starters vying for positions and sharing the workload.
To achieve that West Ham must sign at least another five or quality players this summer.
Especially as they have the same number out of contract.
Thankfully West Ham have a man they know can spend their money wisely on top talent i Tim Steidten. But it still remains to be seen whether Moyes is the man in the dugout next season to make the most of it.
