Ayew sale arrogant and risky
ALEKSANDAR MITROVIC had scored one goal for Newcastle all season. Even so, the club would not loan or sell him within the Premier League during the January transfer window. They feared he could come back to haunt them. Bournemouth wouldn’t do business on Harry Arter for the same reason, Stoke wouldn’t sell Joe Allen to a rival. Yet, on January 31, West Ham cashed in on Andre Ayew, clawing back £18million of the £20.5m they paid Swansea, selling him back to his former club. Always good for a late January deal, West Ham. The year before they sold their best player, Dimitri Payet, to Marseille on the cheap. At least Marseille are not direct rivals, though. Swansea, by contrast, were scrapping at the bottom, the same as West Ham. And Ayew is no Payet, either. He was ordinary at West Ham after early bad luck with injury, even if his six goals this season put him one behind joint top scorers Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez. Despite this, it was a foolish move to come to Swansea’s rescue. Other clubs down the bottom could see this was not the season to prioritise a quick buck. Too closely bunched. Too much to lose. This wasn’t about what Ayew had done at West Ham, but what he might do for Swansea. Obviously, West Ham’s board viewed it differently. On the day Ayew was sold, Swansea were 19th, West Ham peering loftily down at them from the heights of 12th place. It was an illusion, though. The real gap was just four points. The distance between Swansea and the top half of the table was five. League positions are irrelevant in the bottom half of the table right now. Points tell the tale. It was the height of arrogance for West Ham to think they could solve Swansea’s problems without potential consequence. So it has proved. Ayew was outstanding as Swansea humiliated West Ham on Saturday, the clubs switching Premier League positions. They both have 30 points now, both three points off relegation, except the momentum is with Swansea. West Ham have the two Manchester clubs, plus Chelsea and Arsenal to play in their last nine games and must also visit Leicester. The season hinges on the next three home games: Burnley, Southampton and Stoke. Fail to take maximum points, and there is a real danger they could go down. For a club with such lofty long-term ambitions, there is terrible short-termism in the way West Ham do transfer business. This could prove the most expensive £18m any club has ever made.