The Summer Transfer window closes at 11.30pm on Wednesday night and following on from that the club need to name their official squad list for the Premier League until January 2016.
The squad list has to contain 8 Home Grown players and no more than 17 (over 21) foreign players. West Ham currently have 18 (over 21) foreign players on their books (depending on Nordtveit’s Home Grown status) so one of them will either have to leave the club or be left out of Bilic’s 25 man squad list and thus will not be eligible to play in Premier League games between now and January 2017 when changes can be made once again.
There’s also the fact that the club have been linked with further moves for players such as Mathieu Debuchy and Wilfried Bony. If either or both of those players were to come in another 1-2 foreign players would have to leave.
The Current Senior Squad
GK
Adrian – 29 – Spain
Randolph – 29 – Home Grown
Spiegel – 23 – Switzerland
DEF
Reid – 28 – New Zealand
Ogbonna – 28 – Italy
Collins – 33 – Home Grown
Henry – 23 – Canada
Cresswell – 26 – Home Grown
Byram – 22 – Home Grown
Masuaku – 22 – France
Oxford – 17 – Home Grown (either Reece or Ashley would have to be named in the squad to make up the Home Grown numbers even though U21 players do not need to be named)
Burke – 19 – Home Grown (Likely to leave on loan, wouldn’t need to be named in the squad even if he stayed anyway)
MID
Kouyate – 26 – Senegal
Nordtveit – 26 – Norway (Could have Home Grown status as was with Arsenal from age 17 – 21 but only spent 18 months with the club, rest of the time on loan in Spain, Norway and Germany)
Obiang – 24 – Spain
Noble – 29 – Home Grown
Lanzini – 23 – Argentina
Payet – 29 – France
Ayew – 26 – Ghana
Feghouli – 26 – Algeria
Tore – 24 – Turkey ( Misses out on Home Grown status by 6 months as his period at Chelsea was for 2 1/2 years between ages 17-20)
Antonio – 26 – Home Grown
Fernandes – 20 – Switzerland (Does not need to be named in the 25 man squad as he is U21)
FOR
Zaza – 25 – Italy
Sakho – 26 – Senegal
Carroll – 27 – Home Grown
Valencia – 26 – Ecuador
Calleri – 22 – Argentina
Fletcher – 20 – Home Grown (either Reece or Ashley would have to be named in the squad to make up the Home Grown numbers even though U21 players do not need to be named, a loan away could also be a possibility if another striker arrives)
So between now and Wednesday a couple of the club’s foreign players could be on the move depending on any further incoming players. The most likely to leave would be Valencia (linked with Villa and Norwich), Obiang (linked with 3-4 Serie A clubs) and Henry (doesn’t seem to have a future at the club with so many CB’s in front of him). In all likelyhood Diafra Sakho still wouldn’t pass a medical at this point as Bilic claimed recently that he was still doing gym work and not training with the rest of the squad so it seems more likely that he will be here until January for now.
Isn’t Henry on loan?