It was a foregone conclusion that with so many new signings being made by West Ham United, that sooner or later some players would have to be sold.
New first-team coach, Julen Lopetegui, has had long enough in the job now to know what he’s after from his players, and to understand which players can deliver what he needs.
The Irons were excellent in their 2-0 away win at Crystal Palace, a fixture where they were thumped 5-0 at the back end of last season.
How times change.
Under David Moyes, the Hammers played with a lot more caution than Lopetegui’s swashbucklers, and they relied on the accuracy and reliability of James Ward Prowse’s set-piece delivery and passing ability in transition.
Under the Spaniard, the talented midfielder has barely had a look in.
According to WhoScored, Ward-Prowse has played for just 16 minutes of West Ham’s two opening games of the season.
That has piqued the interest of Nottingham Forest according to Football Insider, who also note the player’s 18 goal and assist contributions for the East Londoners last season.
On the face of it, selling Ward-Prowse would appear to be an odd decision given how technically perfect he remains, however, at 29 years of age, he’s getting no younger and perhaps the club are intending to cash on him whilst they can.
From Lopetegui’s point of view, it’s clear already that he has his own ideas of how he wants things to run, and if he’s able to put a good run together in his opening few games, the Hammers faithful will give him the benefit of the doubt.
His next Premier League test will arguably be his biggest as Man City visit the London Stadium, and after losing at home to Aston Villa on the opening day, it’s a fair bet the Spaniard won’t want another home loss on his resume so soon after the previous one.
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