West Ham United boss David Moyes does not want to get embroiled in a money-spending contest as he attempts to continue his growth of the club.
Already this summer, the Hammers have spent around £125million on summer signings while still working towards a move to sign Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta in a deal that would make him one of the club’s most expensive signings in their history.
However, the club have made seven signings off the back of a successful two years that has seen them finish sixth and seventh in the Premier League, reach the semi-finals of last season’s Europa League and qualify for this season’s Europa Conference League.
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Moyes’ primary aim long-term is continue and sustain the club’s upward trajectory and establish themselves alongside the ‘big six’ of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United.
West Ham do not find themselves alone in this quest. Newcastle United have again spent big in their quest for a return to European football following their Saudi-led takeover at the end of last year, while Brighton & Hove Albion also impressed last term, finishing ninth with a strategic and targeted recruitment strategy that has seen them make huge profits on the likes of Ben White and Marc Cucurella in recent transfer windows.
West Ham’s Scottish boss has a huge focus on continued success, growth and sustainability, but would rather achieve this in multiple ways, including how the players are coached and the development of the academy, looking to sign lower-league players at times and develop them into big talents, as they did when signing Jarrod Bowen from Hull City in January 2020.
“I think everybody wants to be in it (the European mix),” said Moyes. “If you look at what Newcastle United have done from a side who everyone was saying probably this time last year were probably on the verge of relegation and people. Suddenly, Newcastle have gone all the way. They have nearly gone up right the elevator as quick as they can with money. I’ve got to say, their team is doing very well, has done since January.
“I see other clubs trying to find other ways of doing it, you are seeing different models in Brighton for example. What we don’t want is money to be the key thing that makes you a great football club. I don’t want that to be the way anyway.
“I want there to be great coaching, great youth development, good recruitment and players can come up through different levels. You can be playing in the lower leagues and get taken up by a club who eventually get into the first team and develop international players, so I really don’t want it to become whose got the biggest purse, I really don’t want that. I won’t be the one that decides that.”
Of the seven signings so far this summer, there has been a real mix in terms of quality, experience and pathways to the first-team. Maxwel Cornet, Nayef Aguerd, Thilo Kehrer, Alphonse Areola and Emerson are established international players, while Gianluca Scamacca has only recently won his first Italian caps after a breakout 2021/22 term in Serie A.
There is also the arrival of Flynn Downes after just one full season of Championship football, with Moyes hoping to bring him up a level long-term as he has done with Bowen.
While Scamacca, Aguerd and potentially Paqueta could be deemed as marquee signings, Downes is one for the long-term, with Moyes jokingly comparing the different styles of recruitment to shopping at luxury shops like Harrods, as well as more cost-effective supermarkets such as Aldi
“I think it is something which we do,” added Moyes. "I think West Ham have got a good academy, we’re trying to build it.
“Also, we’re not always shopping in Harrods, sometimes we shop in Aldi, if that is the right way to put it. I think that is part of it. While we are always building the club, we will be looking to buy players at different levels and trying to challenge the big boys and because of that, we know we need to try and get some top players.”
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