David Moyes spoke to the media on Friday morning at Rush Green ahead of Saturday's clash with Chelsea.
The press conference took place just over 12 hours after the Hammers saw the transfer window close, a window where they made eight signings and spent in the region of £160million.
Here is every word Moyes said on team news, Lucas Paqueta, Chelsea, the late change to the fixture date and more.
READ MORE: Why West Ham completed no first-team transfers on deadline day amid Bednarek and Dawson links
What is the latest team news?
Ben Johnson is not available and we’re still waiting to see how Gianluca [Scamacca] is and we’re still waiting to see how Aaron Cresswell is. It will be sort of late decisions on both of them.
Are you encouraged by the performance against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday?
Yes. I thought the second half showed a lot of really good signs and I think we can sense that we are getting closer to the levels we have been at. We have got to show that we can do that for more than 45 minutes, we have got to try and do it for much longer and those levels are what we have got to try and reach.
How do you see Lucas Paqueta settling in so far?
His settling in is always going to be difficult for any players coming in. His English is very limited, that is one of the issues we have got at the moment but overall, he’s in, he trained yesterday, we want to get him involved. You can see the impact he had but also, we want to be fair and we don’t want to push in someone and expect something so special right away. We want to give him the chance to get to know the players, how we play. Getting to know the Premier League is probably the biggest thing.
Does Chelsea’s inconsistency give you confidence ahead of this game?
Well, they are your words, not my words. Chelsea are always a big opponent for whoever plays them. They have some really fantastic players and they are trying to put together a new team as well just now and maybe a new club in fact, if you look at the changes Chelsea have mad to make over the last year or two. Big changes there and sometimes, changes take a bit of time.
How do you see the recruitment you have made in trying to bridge the gap between yourselves and the top four/six?
I think we’ve tried to bring in players who we think and believe can try and keep us near the top end, that is the plan. We have to do that. I think the top clubs have recruited well, also. You are talking about the real top clubs, you look at (Erling) Haaland, you look at (Darwin) Nunez, the level of the forwards and what you have to play to get the real top players. We’re trying to keep up with them, that is the job and hopefully, in time, we can get the players to show exactly how good they are.
Are you happy with the eight signings you have made?
Yes, we needed it. If we didn’t get that in, we wouldn’t have had enough and actually, we can still question that at the moment. We were short and I told everybody the arithmetic question which would have told you how many we need in and how many we got out etc. I think there was always going to be [a scenario] where we were bringing in seven or eight, maybe more players, in truth.
How do you go about helping them to settle in?
I think it is really important to have the players do a big job as well. For example, I have used Mark Noble. Mark Noble was very good at helping them settle in. We have got a really good player care team who look after them, make sure we try to get them a house and their families are all looked after. We do most things for them, that is just the way it is with players now. I think on the football side of it, you want to try and get as many training sessions in with them as you can, you want to see their abilities, you want the other players to see how do they play, where do they play, what are their strengths and I think that is the bit that takes time.
Ideally, you’d have the players in pre-season, because you can get them in pre-season games, you get a chance to see them play for you, they get a chance to know what their teammates are like and when you are bringing them in late, now, you are having to bring them in Premier League games, which are of huge value to win it while you are still trying to see how somebody does. It is actually great for the public, the public want to see the new players, but for the manager, you are actually trying to feel exactly what you are going to get and an idea of what you are going to get and it takes a little bit of time.
You said you weren't ready at start of season - are you now?
I think we are, we're getting towards that but if you were saying: 'Is Gianluca [Scamacca] ready? Is [Lucas] Paqueta ready? Is Emerson ready? Flynn Downes?' The answer would be no. Because it takes time for them to get part of the club. When you're making changes it can be like that but we are in it now and in the game the other night we just started to look fresher in some areas of the team. That's the way we're going to be going forward.
What are your feelings towards the date of the game being changed just a week before the match?
I think it's disappointing because it was known there would be Champions League games and European games for us as well. I'll tell you something about the Premier League, they've got a great organisation and in the main these situations don't happen that often. When I was fortunate enough to manage in Spain for a year, the one thing that was completely different from the Premier League to La Liga was that the Premier League's organisation was fantastic. La Liga was really late with organisation. When was the game going to be? Was it going to be six o'clock at night, ten o'clock at night? Was it going to be Sunday, Monday, what day was it going to be? When I was out there it was the thing that annoyed me a little bit. I hope the Premier League are not going like that because I think what the Premier League are is a very well-run organisation which tries to get things right but I think they've got this one wrong. The lateness for the supporters is not correct.
Are you pleased to have a rare Saturday game?
We've probably had a year of Sunday football so it feels very strange. It's great we're playing on a Saturday, it's the tradition in this country, it's always been the football day, certainly from the generation I've been brought up in. I think though, that when you're given Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday, that's slightly different.
Your recent meetings with Chelsea have been close. Does it show a sign of you bridging the gap to those teams above you?
I hope so, because it's telling you that we're getting closer to Chelsea if that's the case. We've had some good games at home against them, some good results, I think we lost in the 93rd-minute against them at Stamford Bridge last year. It's telling us we're getting closer and I think over recent years Chelsea have been world champions, European champions, they've always had a good team.
How close was Declan Rice to ever leaving West Ham amid regular links with Chelsea?
Nothing I know of and the club have always said he wasn't going to be available. We try to tell you the truth here.
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