On meeting the friend of a friend, my initial thoughts were probably best summed up by the damning judgement, ‘What an absolute dckhead’. Fast-forward a decade and that dckhead was a groomsman at my wedding. The point is that first impressions are not always accurate. Although in this case I wasn’t too far off, he just happens to be a fairly loveable d*ckhead once you get to know him. I’m sure I’ve made some dubious first impressions of my own. Most notably when I turned up for a job in music administration wearing an awful suit and everyone else was in their jeans and band T-shirts. Things quickly improved, although in most new jobs I suffer from imposter syndrome for at least the first few months.
The Challenge of the New Signing
Which makes me wonder, does what a footballer says, does or wears on a first day with new teammates make a meaningful difference? Is it easier or harder to fit in when millions of pounds have been paid for your services and there are tens of thousands waiting to assess your performance? Most people who’ve gone to work in a new environment, even if it’s basically the exact same job they did before, will know that the transition process is not always smooth. Throw in language barriers and intense competition from colleagues wanting to usurp you and it becomes thornier than most of us will ever know. In his 1984 autobiography Yours Sincerely, Ron Greenwood listed a number of things that players can be thrown by: ‘Loss of form, inactivity with injury, marital troubles, money worries [marginally less relevant these days], business difficulties, gambling debts, bad publicity [marginally more relevant these days], changes of manager, transfer requests.’ I would definitely add settling into new surroundings to the list. Yet we invariably expect great things from new signings. And the anticipation is understandable given the modern media hype, even if the transfer churn should really lead us to expect otherwise.
The Verdict on Diouf and Walker-Peters
The latest being put to the test at Rush Green and the London Stadium are El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters, hopefully with more to follow. The latter has the benefit of Premier League experience but the impairment of an embarrassing relegation to get out of his system, plus the potentially prejudicial trait of being a Tottenham academy product. The new recruits might also benefit from the general lowering of expectations.
Second Chances: Füllkrug and Rodríguez
On the flip side, last year’s recruitment raised hopes, for a short time at least, but in hindsight things can surely only get better for Niclas Füllkrug and Guido Rodríguez, assuming they’re still on our books by the time you come to read this. On paper, experienced German and Argentinian internationals looked like coups, but their first seasons in claret and blue were limited to say the least. Having had a second summer to settle, would it be ridiculously naïve to expect more from them in the season ahead? Could we have an inversion of Mohammed Kudus, who made a strong first impression and followed it with a turgid year two? My personal view on Kudus is that he’s an exciting talent but Tottenham will likely get Mo 2.0 unless Thomas Frank can turn him into a team player and vastly improve his decision making.
The Deterioration of Álvarez and Scarles’ Lesson
Similarly, Edson Álvarez started reasonably strongly before an alarming deterioration. Had we just signed the winner of the 2025 CONCACAF Golden Ball then fans would justifiably be excited. Instead, reports suggest that that excitement will belong to a new set of supporters. Álvarez is clearly not a bad player; take your pick from Greenwood’s list of reasons to explain last season’s sub-par performances, or alternatively add your own. While seasoned professionals should be able to navigate a downturn in fortunes, first impressions can be make or break for young players, more of whom might be presented with opportunities given the dearth of new signings to date. Had an expensive new signing put in Ollie Scarles’ first-half performance at Anfield then he would have been crucified but we typically show more forbearance with our own, instead classifying it as a steep learning curve. Here’s hoping the Diouf signing can propel both the two young left wing-backs to new heights, although the likelihood is that one’s flourishing would come at the expense of the other’s. Meanwhile, Lewis Orford, Callum Marshall, Kaelan Casey etc will need to make a strong impression if they’re to have any chance of claiming a senior first-team berth.
Giving Everyone a Clean Slate
As the new season begins, I’m willing to give new and not-so-new alike a clean slate. Wholesale squad replenishments are not sustainable season after season so it might be wise to refrain from writing off any new guys who fail to hit the ground running. Finally, I’m reminded of two sayings, ‘Class is permanent, form temporary’, and ‘The cream rises to the top’. That said, the popular maxim in my current workplace is that sh*t floats while talent sinks. Let’s hope the same is not applicable to West Ham.
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