Mark Noble has made an intriguing claim about the West Ham transfer that shows just how well informed he is in his new role as sporting director.
The West Ham legend, who announced his retirement from the team in May after 550 senior appearances over 18 years in the claret and blue shirt, will return to the club this week and take up the new role.
According to West Ham, Noble “will work closely in support of manager David Moyes, as well as working with the Board of Directors, providing information, advice and assistance on all aspects of the operation of football.”
And from January, Noble will have a key role in transfers, both in terms of bringing in new players and helping them establish themselves.
West Ham spent £170m on eight signings in the summer, but they have yet to make a substantial impact as West Ham see themselves just one point above the relegation zone.
And Noble has now made an intriguing transfer claim from West Ham, showing that he is indeed on top of things in his new role as sporting director.
In an interview with The Guardian, Noble, who knows the club inside out, said:
He said he will help West Ham compete with the best teams in Europe for the best players yet to be picked up by the elite. He said:
“We need to be in the market for probably 25 teams across Europe.”
“Maybe from fourth to eighth in the Spanish league, the same in the German league. Those are our rivals when we recruit players because we can’t afford to buy the ones we want. It’s not going to happen.
“So we have to be smart and find ways to recruit young players and develop them, taking them from the academy to the first team because that’s a huge advantage.”
