Under David Moyes, West Ham United rose from a relegation battle in the Premier League and formed a formidable and cohesive unit, qualifying for Europe in the past two campaigns, but over the past few months the hard work has unravelled like a loose ball of yarn.
In order to combat the struggles and loss of fluidity which has resulted in the Irons fighting to stave off relegation instead of maintaining the expectation of pushing the division’s elite for a Champions League berth, Moyes sought to utilise the January transfer window and bring in several faces to try and pump some life back into the London Stadium.
Despite signing Danny Ings from Aston Villa for £15m and 20-year-old Brazilian starlet Luizao for an undisclosed fee from Sao Paulo, there will be an overarching sense within the club that certain targets have slipped through their fingers, and the Hammers remain in danger of dropping out of the Premier League.
One glaring blunder on the transfer front which could have provided the sheen to revitalise West Ham is Sheffield United’s Sander Berge, with Norwegian outlet TV2 reporting that the Irons were among the suitors for the Scandinavian sensation at the backend of the January transfer window.
Berge, who signed for the Blades in 2020 for £22m, has been a vital component to the club’s endeavours this season as they strive to clinch promotion to the Premier League, currently second in the Championship and well on course to go up, sitting 12 points above third-placed Middlesbrough.
Fulham were reported to have been closing in on a £20m transfer for the midfielder on transfer deadline day, a deal which did not materialise, but it shows that a valuable acquisition could have been within Moyes’ grasp had the requisite moves been made.
The “Rolls-Royce”, as lauded by team-mate Rhian Brewster, has made 19 appearances in the Championship this season and recorded a solid Sofascore rating of 6.98. He has been a dynamic presence at Bramall Lane, averaging 1.4 shots, 1.2 key passes and 1.2 tackles per game, notably scoring four goals and supplying three assists from his position as a midfield pivot.
It is this all-encompassing approach that West Ham are lacking this term. While Declan Rice occupies the anchoring role, there has been an evident lapse in offensive fluidity, with data from FBref displaying a dip in productivity in the final third.
The Irons have scored 17 league goals this term, despite their expected goal (xG) tally standing at 25.6, and a vibrant and transitional force such as Berge would surely enhance and hone the Hammers’ offensive prospects.
He could have been a discernible upgrade on Flynn Downes, with the midfielder failing to truly make his mark following his £12m move from Swansea City last summer.
The 24-year-old has made 18 appearances across all competitions for the Hammers since his arrival in east London but has only started three times in the Premier League. He has recorded a lowly Sofascfore rating of 6.62 and averaged just 0.1 key passes per game, while failing to effectively continue on the defensive front with 0.6 tackles and 0.3 interceptions per match and yet to register a direct goal contribution.
Had Moyes succeeded in bringing an industrious and diligent player such as the 32-cap Berge to the London Stadium last month, West Ham’s prospects of succeeding in their endeavours over the business end of the campaign might have been far more fruitful.
As it is, they will have to make do with their existing options and hope that the cogs fall into place to get the machine whirring once again.
