After West Ham United’s relegation on Sunday it’s fair to say that there will be a veritable rotating door in operation this summer at Upton Park. David’s Gold & Sullivan have publicly stated that if the team was to go down members would have to be sold to balance the books. The list of contenders is long with the hammers having quite a large squad despite their troubles but it appears that a lack of quality defenders in said squad has ultimately been their undoing.
Firstly we have to look at the current player of the year and Hammers talisman Scott Parker. A move for him has been mooted for the last 18 months with Tottenham Hotspur appearing the most likely destination. For the life of me i can’t see why Parker would move to Spurs or why Spurs would want him. Granted he is a good player but given Spurs strength in depth in this department it would be a waste of transfer funds from Harry Redknapp (a man that claims to not have much funding this summer).
Parker’s biggest strength has been the “big fish small pond” scenario. He is blatantly the best midfielder at the club and this seemed to suit him as he has had his fingers burnt previously when trying to take the step up to a leading side. At Chelsea he didn’t get a look in and this may repeat himself if he decides on the move to spurs. A fee of around £6-8m would not be over the top for a player that possibly has 2-3 seasons left in him but I fail to see him getting a start every week at Spurs and without regular football injuries may creep in more regularly and halt any progress he has made with the England national team. A move to Newcastle, Aston Villa or Fulham may be a better step for him professionally and extend his playing career beyond the above mentioned 3 years.
Robert Green is another example of a player that has been continually linked with a move away from the Hammers and given the aging population between the premier leagues posts he may find himself in high demand this year. Given that there are rumours of him imminently retiring from International football Green may want to stay with the Hammers and help them bounce back but I would be surprised if Gold & Sullivan don’t cash in on one of the few commodities they have.
A move to Villa, Fulham or Spurs may also be his best move given the ages of Brad Friedel & Mark Schwarzer and the unreliability of Heurelio Gomes. Green’s gaffes in the last 12 months will not have helped his cause for a top 6 team but In my opinion Gomes’s have been higher profile and may give Harry the incentive to swoop for Green early in the summer to avoid a bidding war with any other interested parties with potentially Robbie Keane being offered in exchange.
Just wana throw this out their… Parker at Arsenal? I think he’s exactly what arsenal are missing, a leader, never gives up, a voice on the pitch and a cool head when their under pressure.