Opinions

Osman warns West Ham over changes

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Image for Osman warns West Ham over changes

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has delivered a warning to West Ham over their summer transfers.

It’s been a busy summer for West Ham, with new manager Manuel Pellegrini bringing in Ryan Fredericks, Lukasz Fabianski, Issa Diop, Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmolenko, Fabián Balbuena and Felipe Anderson.

And there might be more on the way.

Osman admitted it was an exciting time for West Ham fans, but said you had to be careful about making so many changes, pointing to his former team by way of example.

Talking on BBC 5 Live, Osman said: “You hope it’s going to be successful.

“They [West Ham] brought in Pellegrini in to make sure someone’s at the helm that knows what they’re doing but you’ve just got to be careful bringing in all those players in one bunch, look at Everton last season.

“Everton expected the season would be fantastic and it was far from it.

“You’ve just got to be careful. It takes a while to make that transition, it’s easier to do it one or two at  time, rather than bringing 15 players in and hoping that you can get them all coming together.

“Yes, it’s an exciting time for West Ham, they’ve got a man in charge who they believe in and he’s bringing in some top quality players, but you’ve just got to be careful. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

OPINION

West Ham fans will be of the opinion that things couldn’t get any worse for West Ham than last season, when a combination of bad results and no spending from the board saw protests from the fans turn violent. Yes, Osman has a point, but there’s a huge difference between Everton last summer and West Ham now. Everton’s transfers, on reflection, were all over the place. West Ham’s look focused and balanced, and there’s a man off the pitch who can meld them together in Pellegrini. Perhaps more importantly, there’s a man on the pitch who can use his experience and know-how to make sure the team bonds on the pitch. Jack Wilshere could be the most important player for West Ham next season, and keeping him fit and coaxing him back to top form could be Pellegrini’s finest moment. We think West Ham fans have got every reason to be excited for next season, and we’re not expecting a repeat of last season – or of Everton’s last season come to that.

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