On the surface, if Julen Lopetegui gets his way, West Ham United will make their ninth signing of the window – a genuinely amazing summer. It will be difficult to offload players at this stage of the window, and the West Ham Board will most likely bear the losses.

Now, I understand Simon has stated that selling one of our midfielders, in particular, is a ‘last resort’ because he is a valuable asset. I’d like to present a different viewpoint.

It must be said, James Ward Prowse has not lived up to his £30 million price tag and has been something of a disappointment since arriving last summer as a ‘Marquee’ Moyes signing.  The ‘speciality’ free kicks and dead balls have yielded, from memory, one goal direct from a corner which exciting though it was, isn’t really up to expectations for those of us who waited for him to ease past David Beckham’s record from free kicks.

Without a doubt, if he joins Forest, he will regain his form and begin scoring for fun once more. Very ‘West Ham’, the free kick specialist who can’t score. Last year, the deck was stacked against him because West Ham lacked a ball carrier capable of running at defences and winning free kicks, which he thrives on. Paqueta was out wide, and the Hammers were mostly playing on the counterattack, with 35% possession or less. Anyone who simply has one trick in their arsenal will struggle to succeed. Bowen, in my opinion, created equally terrifying corners.

According to reports, James Ward Prowse will be sold if bids approach the £30 million number paid by West Ham United last summer–the cost will be too much for Nottingham Forest, who are more likely to try their luck around the £20 million mark. Furthermore, if JWP moves to Forest, his income of roughly £110,000 per week will be partially or completely off the books. Furthermore, this will unlock the key to Carlos Soler’s loan-to-buy deal from Paris St Germain, which Lopetegui has stated he wants to complete before August 31.

Carlos Soler provides a more creative edge to midfield, whereas Ward-Prowse has been mostly anonymous. Lopetegui’s aim to have two players in each position means he sees Soler as the Paqueta option for creativity and connecting up with wide players, as well as being more combative in defense. When we had the Soucek-Ward Prowse pivot in midfield, we looked porous, which I hope is history. Soler, El Machin, and Rodriguez provide depth.