It’s taken until later in the transfer window for West Ham to set about their business again, but Alan Shearer isn’t convinced that the Hammers have got it right this time.
The former Newcastle and England centre-forward has often divided opinion with his forthright comments, and supporters of the East London outfit aren’t likely to be too enamoured by his latest broadside.
At some point on Friday Kalvin Phillips is set to be unveiled by the Hammers as another major signing.
Financial details have been a closely guarded secret, though it’s believed that West Ham will cover all of his wages and that there will also be the opportunity to buy the player outright at the end of his six-month loan.
It’s a move that suits all parties but evidently not Shearer.
“Is it a bit of a gamble on West Ham’s part?” he said on the The Rest is Football podcast.
“If you believe the figures that were banded around in terms of a loan fee, his salary and with an obligation to buy at the end of the season. For someone who hasn’t played any football really in the last nine months.”
The move gives Phillips the opportunity of resurrecting his club and international career after being frozen out at Man City by Pep Guardiola.
With the European Championship just six months away, Phillips therefore has a point to prove not just to Guardiola but also to Gareth Southgate.
Furthermore, he’ll surely want to repay David Moyes for the trust that the Scot has placed in him, and set about making Shearer’s comments moribund in the process.