No panic over transfers, says Hammers boss
WEST Ham manager Slaven Bilic insists he is not panicking yet over the club’s failure to sign another striker or complete a permanent deal for midfielder Alex Song.
The Hammers, who host Romanian outfit Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League tonight, have already welcomed seven summer arrivals and Bilic hopes there will be more before the 1 September transfer deadline.
“We are not panicking, we are good,” he said. “If we can find a player, or maximum two, who are going to make us better then we definitely want to do it. I’m happy with my squad, the transfer window is still very open and there’s a possibility some players will come and some will go.”
Bilic admits juggling the Europa League qualifying rounds with fine-tuning for next week’s Premier League kick-off is impractical and is hoping to effectively wrap up progress in tonight’s first leg.
“It’s not ideal, but there’s no point moaning or saying it again, we just have to cope with the situation. No excuses,” he added. “They [Astra] are a club that’s investing money, has a lot of good players. Last year they knocked out Lyon so it’s going to be a good test.”