Former West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has said co-owner David Sullivan would “bully” managers into buying players he and fellow co-owner David Gold would want to buy as the fallout from Sullivan’s talkSport interview continues.
Sullivan went on the radio broadcaster on Wednesday morning to update the very disgruntled Hammer fanbase on their summer so far, which has not exactly been productive in terms of strengthening the squad.
Manager David Moyes has been desperate to add to his defensive ranks this summer after seeing his backline ship 62 goals last season. However, he has yet to do so and has been frustrated in his attempts to bring in Burnley centre back James Tarkowski.
The Hammers have been linked with a move for St Etienne centre back Wesley Fofana and Southampton’s Janik Vestegaard in the last 24 hours to bolster the backline.
Sullivan claimed on talkSport that he regretted handing over the control of transfers to former manager Manuel Pellegrini and director of football Mario Husillos despite the co-owners somewhat checkered record making moves himself.
Allardyce was speaking on the same broadcaster and has previousl revealed that Sullivan would give him “gifts” of players who he had no idea were arriving. But he also said that in some cases, the owners will do everything to get their way.
"Sometimes [the owners] will try to bully you into a player they fancy,” he said.
"But you have to stay strong and try to get on with it.
"Sometimes I think his love for football is so great, David Sullivan, he spends the vast majority of his time researching footballers across the world through other sources.
"Sometimes those sources are good, sometimes they're not so good.
"But at the end of the day it can be a conflict between you and the owner because he wants to make sure when he spends his money he's getting value for money.
"I think their passion for West Ham, Gold and Sullivan... they get a lot of stick, but they love West Ham."
The Hammers co-owner has been the target of major criticism this summer after the club allowed Grady Diangana to depart for West Bromwich Albion for £18million. A statement on the winger’s departure insisted the money would be re-invested in Moyes’ playing squad.
With just under a fortnight remaining of the window however, Moyes has yet to make a new recruit. Sullivan has also said he has been left feeling “depressed” at being unable to make any move and also admitted the club could end the summer without any new faces.
