News that West Ham’s target, Youssouf Fofana, had agreed to personal terms with AC Milan weeks ago—and still desires the move—raises questions about why the Hammers pursued him in the first place. It certainly seems odd that the Irons would make a bid today armed with that information.
This incident should come as no surprise to West Ham fans, as it has become something of a regular occurrence. The club’s negotiation team seems to struggle with determining whether a player wants to join before making a transfer bid.
Unfortunately, the players who do want to join often come from clubs with whom West Ham struggles to negotiate. Both Jhon Duran and Kyle Walker-Peters are keen on moves to the London Stadium. Yet, despite their eagerness to join Julen Lopetegui’s Claret & Blue revolution, agreements on fees with the selling clubs remain elusive.
On the other hand, West Ham has made bids for players like Jean-Clair Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Youssouf Fofana, who clearly have no desire to join the club. It seems the Irons negotiators either fail to conduct their due diligence by speaking to players’ representatives before bidding or they hope their preferred options fall through, and they might get lucky.
Todibo rejected West Ham yet we keep trying
As the transfer window progresses, it’s questionable how much has actually changed at the club. While the transfer of Brazilian youngster Luis Guilherme seemed to signal a new, more structured approach to recruitment, this method appears to have been abandoned in favour of the old, less effective scattergun tactic.
Despite an expanded scouting department and data analytics experts, and supposedly a dossier of the finest upcoming talent in world football, the actual recruitment practices seem unchanged. As things stand, West Ham are starting to resemble the bloke at the bar who won’t take no for an answer at the end of a night out.