Glenn in the Transfer Market

Last updated : 26 February 2002 By Mike Reich
Glenn: Scouting for players
With Don Hutchison, Steve Lomas and Michael Carrick all out for at least the next month, Glenn has made it clear that he is looking for other players in the transfer market to come in and help us out. Glenn Roeder has admitted he wants to sign a couple of quality players on loan after injuries to Don Hutchison and Steve Lomas over the weekend.

Roeder admitted: "It is the last thing that we need at the moment. It means that I have to work even harder to try to find a couple of loan signings before transfer deadline day."

"There are a lot of players out there that are quite ordinary, and I don't particularly think that they will bring a lot to us. But we have got probably a couple of weeks now to try and really dig out now a couple of quality loan signings."

The next Hammers match is on Saturday, at Villa Park, and although Glenn won't have the time to bring any one before then, with matches against Arsenal and Manchester United in the diary soon, a move in the transfer market would appear high on the Hammer's boss' list.

The club have the following midfielders on the books: Steve Lomas, John Moncur, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Laurent Courtois, Trevor Sinclair, Don Hutchison, Vladimir Labant, as well as several unproven youth players. With Lomas, Hutchison and Carrick out for a while, that leaves Sinclair and Cole as the only two first team regular midfielders.

Vladimir Labant has only just come in, Laurent Courtois looked useful at the beginning of the season, and John Moncur is a useful, but if used too much will undoubtedly rule himself out through suspension.

With such little cover across midfield, it is through necessity that Glenn will be looking at players. But why on loan? Surely a good purchase would make more financial sense?

If Terry Brown and the rest of the board would allow him, I would urge Glenn to go for Leicester's Muzzy Izzet for around £5m - £6m. He has indicated that he would fancy a move to East London, and he is a very good midfielder, and is believed to be on Glenn's wishlist for the Summer. Surely it would make sense to purchase him now, as opposed to waiting for the end of the season.

It would seem though that Glenn is resigned to a loan deal, with the only name touted about so far being Tottenham's Tim Sherwood - but that is a mere rumour at this stage.