West Ham favourite Dean Ashton has slammed the recruitment of his former side and has admitted he fears of relegation this season.
The Hammers suffered their fifth consecutive Premier League defeat last night, losing 3-0 to Arsenal, and sit just five points above the drop zone ahead of this weekend’s huge relegation clash with Swansea City.
Slaven Bilic has endured a difficult second season at the club, with West Ham struggling following their move to the London Stadium, but Ashton believes the issues go beyond their on-field form.
Speaking to TalkSport, the former striker slammed the Hammers’ recruitment drive last summer and believes the squad is nowhere near good enough.
“The recruitment hasn’t been good enough – it is as simple as that,”
“They were thinking they were going to be in Europe so they brought in players that would supplement the squad who had played European football. When they crashed out they had to play these players because of injuries.”
“The squad is nowhere near good enough. Players that come in don’t improve the first 11, and that is not good enough at Premier League level.”
Ashton went on to discuss his fears of relegation, as the Hammers prepare for a crucial run of fixtures that sees them tackle relegation rivals Swansea and Sunderland in the next two games.
“When you get a certain amount of points as they did six or seven games ago, you sit and relax and think ‘we are safe’, but actually teams down there go on great runs.”
“When you are down there you suddenly pick up results that you shouldn’t and West Ham are massively sucked in. It is a worry to be honest.”
