Who should be shown the exit door this month?

For a few seasons now West Ham has seen its fair share of aging journeymen and players past their prime (even some that never had a prime).  The squad is currently in transition as Big Sam has brought in several players since his arrival, many of them being his former players from his Bolton days.  In this January transfer window, however, who should West Ham show the exit door to?

First of all, if there aren’t going to be any serious signings then no one should be sold, released, or killed, because the squad is dangerously thin as is, particularly in the defence and forward departments.  However, both Davids (Gold and Sullivan) have reiterated their desire to buy this winter, and the manager has put forth an unofficial number of at least 20 potential signings he is especially interested in.  Obviously he doesn’t intend to sign all of them, but he would like a handful to be sure.  Given the current financial situation at the club, most buys will be prudent and there could very well be some diamonds unearthed.  One can hope, eh? Still, the offloading of players looks to be a certainty this January.  So who should go?

West Ham has three tall target men, and thus far only one has been effective.  Carlton Cole has shown flashes of the form that saw him be a ten goal per season type, but as of yet has not found any continuity in his game.  The other two tall men are vying for my passenger seat so I can drive them to some club willing to pay their wages.  When I pit the two against each other, I reckon Piquionne would win the competition to go.  I remember Carew being very dangerous on occasion while at Villa, but I haven’t seen it since his joined.  Still, I think he’s a better big man than Piquionne, who has never impressed me.  I have heard rumor that one of those clubs up north, Stoke I believe, is interested in Piquionne. It’d be a miracle if we got some cash out of him, because he certainly will not give us goals.  If Big Sam were able to bring in more than one striker, then maybe seeing Carew off would be alright.  However, that depends a lot on who is brought in.  To be fair to Carew he has only started seven games and has two goals to his name in league play.  Now, some have suggested that Sears should also be shown the door but I must say that I am totally against that.  He’s a loyal player who may have been a bit rushed to the forefront after his debut goal, and I feel that he’s never been given a fair shot or a set role.

In midfield, I feel like we have to wait and see who can be brought in, as injuries to loanees has kept us spread thinner than expected.  It looks like we have some promising youth waiting in the wings, with players like Brian Montenegro making waves.  However, with promotion the goal, it looks as though the manager is reluctant to put in youth when there are other options.  Unless someone proven can be brought in midfield, I have a hard time suggesting someone there to move on.  David Bentley and Henri Lansbury will be gone eventually, and our options will depend on who the club can potentially buy even more at that point.

Defence is one area that doesn’t need any explanation.  We are terribly short of numbers at the back, and we really struggled to find the right combination once Winston Reid went down.  Fortunately he’s back, and he and Tomkins look great playing in the same back line.  We mix it up plenty with our fullbacks and Daniel Potts has done a great job making the step up.  I can’t see how we can afford to sell anyone at all, quite simply.  Current rumors say that Tottenham would like to bid for Tomkins and throw a player in the deal.  I, personally am wholeheartedly against the idea of Tomkins leaving.  He’s an academy graduate, a promising centre back, and he still has so much growing to do.  Unless it were a bid that could pay for two quality and experienced players I’d say no to selling Tomkins.  All in all, the club is very thin and should only sell if they can bring in a few players during the month.  The selling of players to finance purchases would be alright but again, it depends on who can be brought in to help the club in our attempt at automatic promotion.

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