West Ham had a transfer win with the under-the-radar signing of Guido Rodriguez, finance expert Dan Plumley has said.
The Hammers have spent big on the likes of Max Kilman, Luis Guilherme, Cysensencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug and Aaron Wan-Bissaka during the summer transfer window.
Argentina international Rodriguez displayed a more frugal bit of business, the World Cup winner arriving on a free transfer after his Real Betis contract expired.
Finance expert Plumley said those kind of deals are important for clubs in terms of value for money and finding hidden gem deals.
“It’s still about balance isn’t it?” Plumley said in an exclusive interview with West Ham Zone.
“So you expect especially for a Premier League club, because all the other clubs in the world know the majority of money is in the Premier League and clubs have it to spend.
“So you always get this, as an English club you know you’re going to have to outlay decent sums in terms of transfer fees but if you can work the other side of the coin as well in terms of some free transfers or some smart recruitment transfer strategies and getting players in under the radar and undervalued maybe and winning a little bit on that side of things you can strike that balance.
“It’s certainly a way that, even though there is a lot money in the Premier League, even clubs like that are trying to manoeuvre that kind of market as well and that market is important.”
West Ham make transfer balance with Guido Rodriguez signing
The Hammers were always likely to be busy this summer as they look to mould a squad that new boss Julen Lopetegui wants to work with.
Obviously, it is the big-money signings that stole the headlines, with Summerville and Fullkrug boosting the attacking options and Wan-Bissaka and Kilman increasing options in defence.
But Rodriguez, who started in the Irons’ opening-game 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Saturday, represents a shrewd bit of business too, a signing who adds international experience without a huge financial outlay.
The huge sums spent on transfers nowadays obviously make the big headlines but these cheaper deals can prove crucial in their own right.