Former Premier League winner Mark Schwarzer has said he thinks West Ham will struggle to attract players this January due to uncertainty surrounding the future of manager Slaven Bilic.
The Hammers have had a difficult start to the new season, winning only 2 of their 10 Premier League games so far this season, leaving them hovering dangerously above the relegation zone.
After spending heavily in the summer to thus far no avail, it is expected the club will again spend this January in an attempt to turn around their season, however Schwarzer thinks it won’t be that simple.
“I think particularly when you are looking at players signing for a longer term, so in January if (West Ham) are looking to sign a player (they) are going to think twice about it because of that uncertainty about whether or not the manager is going to be there come the end of the season,” Schwarzer told The Debate.
“As a player I always looked at it that way as well, wherever I signed I always wanted to make sure that the manager believed in me, the manager wanted to play me – or I had a good chance of playing – I didn’t want to go there with a manager where his whole job is on the line and you don’t know whether he’s going to stay there or not, that was never the ideal scenario.”
Bilic was given only two games to save his job a matter of weeks ago, however after a good result against Tottenham in the EFL Cup and a draw at relegation rivals Crystal Palace, the Croatian remains in charge at the London Stadium. Just.
With a tough fixture against Liverpool this season as well as a difficult run in to Christmas, Bilic’s job very much still hangs in the balance, something the former Leicester City and Chelsea keeper is not attractive to any potential suitors.
“Sometimes you didn’t have any other options however most of the time you were able to say ‘OK right the manager there is stable he’s got a good rapport with the owner of the club, there’s real consistency there’ and you want to go there and you want to sign because of the club but also because of the manager.”
