David Moyes has revealed he didn’t want to sign a striker just to ‘appease’ the West Ham fans after the club failed to bring in attacking reinforcements during the January window.
West Ham were linked with a number of centre-forward options following the sale of Sebastien Haller this month, the club having allowed the record signing to depart for Ajax following an underwhelming spell at the London Stadium.
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Haller’s exit leaves the Hammers short of options, with Michail Antonio – who has struggled with hamstring injuries this season – the only recognised senior option in Moyes’ squad.
West Ham did move to sign Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard on loan until the end of the campaign, though the transfer window closed without the arrival of a new centre-forward to act as competition and cover for Antonio.
Moyes insisted that the Hammers would only make signings if the right players were available this winter and says he did not want to sign a new striker just to ‘appease’ the fans, pointing towards the club’s questionable recruitment in recent seasons as reason for his patient approach to the market.
“When the club spent £200m, people said it was great and it was a sign of it going places – but it didn’t work out that well,” Moyes told his pre-match press conference.
“I am not going to sign players who have come in just to appease people,” said Moyes.
“We tried for a striker but the players we wanted weren’t available.”
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