SIX panic buys West Ham must avoid in the next 24 hours

With the end of the transfer window drawing nearer each day, you cannot help but get the impression that we are light in a couple of areas. Deadline day always brings plenty of excitement but clubs often pay over the odds for players that are not as thoroughly scouted as they look for last minute reinforcements out of desperation.

West Ham must be careful not to fall into this trap but thankfully we have done most of our shopping early and effectively. The board and Allardyce, however, have claimed that one or two more arrivals are likely at Upton Park before the window shuts next week.

There has been promising talk of players such as Micah Richards and Toby Alderweireld but I have compiled a list of players to avoid in the coming days.

So here’s SIX players West Ham must avoid signing before tomorrow’s 11pm transfer window deadline…

Click on Sam Allardyce to reveal

Matthew Etherington

Etherington stirred up plenty of excitement amongst Hammers with his performances whilst at Upton Park but the 33-year old winger is way past his peak. Having been released by Stoke, West Ham’s official twitter page posted a picture of Matty training with the first team squad in order to maintain his fitness.

David Gold then took to twitter to tell fans that Etherington was looking ‘lean and mean’ in training which led to speculation over whether or not we would offer him a contract. However, I feel that he would end up being nothing more than surplus to requirements if he was to pull on the Claret and Blue again.

A winger would give us more squad depth but this would probably not be a fairy-tale comeback for the ex-Hammer of the Year.

Valeri Bojinov

Valeri Bojinov is a Bulgarian striker who is currently on trial with us. He has previously endured a torrid spell in the Premier League, managing just 11 games and 1 goal with Manchester City between 2007 and 2010. Bojinov has never been prolific and has only scored 6 goals in 42 international appearances for Bulgaria.

He currently plies his trade for Levski Sofia in his home country. With Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Carlton Cole all vying for a first team spot and Elliot Lee and Ricardo Vaz Te able to fill in if we get injuries, it seems nonsensical to search for a new striker – particularly one with such a poor goal ratio.

And when (or should I say if) Andy Carroll returns, Bojinov would just find himself unsettled down the pecking order at Upton Park.

Ashley Young

Young has slalomed in and out of favour at Manchester United over the past couple of seasons. He was scarcely used by David Moyes and a summer exit looked imminent until Louis Van Gaal reintroduced him to the first team.

But circumstances have changed at Manchester United; Young’s place at wing back is under jeopardy as a 4-0 loss to Milton Keynes highlighted their need to tighten up defensively. Also, the arrival of Angel Di Maria reduces his chances of playing as a winger if they revert back to a more orthodox formation.

Naturally, we have been linked to a loan swoop with a view to a permanent deal. This has the potential to be a reasonable move for both parties, but when considering the extortionate wages that would have to be paid, it would be wise to look for alternatives.

Young has a renowned tendency to dive too which is an undesirable trait to bring into the club. He is not the player that he was at Aston Villa and in his early days at Manchester United and he would be a waste of money considering we have precious little left to strengthen our squad.

Roger Johnson

A slight knock to James Tomkins and a suspension to James Collins meant that we were left excruciatingly short at centre back last weekend. This situation had Roger Johnson written all over it.

Johnson’s brief stint at West Ham will hardly go down in Upton Park folklore. The centre back joined on loan last January from League One Wolves as we had a similar central defensive crisis to the one we are currently experiencing. He immediately gave us a lesson in why not to loan in players from two divisions below you.

He went from the likes of Walsall, Tranmere and Oldham to being humiliated by Yaya Toure live on TV against Manchester City. Nicknamed ‘the relegator’ (for 3 relegations in consecutive seasons), we somehow managed to repel his curse and stay up despite his questionable defensive displays but a return would be disastrous.

Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik

There is no doubt that the long-named defender from Rennes has bags of potential. Kana-Biyik is a strong and powerful centre back who is good in the air and comfortable on the ball (allowing him play at full back as well as his preferred slot in centre half). The problem with Kana-Biyik, however, is his behaviour.

Do we really need another troublemaker when Morrison seems to stir up enough fuss on his own? Arsenal have expressed interest but seem to be put off by the player’s troubled history including a confrontation with supporters which has forced Rennes to offload him.

He was fined and ordered to train separately from the first-team and reserve squad as a result of this altercation.

Emanuel Insua

Throughout this window, we have been linked with the 23-year old Boca Juniors left back. This is not an ideal transfer; we do not pressingly need a left back and we only have a relatively small budget to work with.

I cannot comment too much on Insua’s game as I have not seen him play but reports suggest that he is a long way off the Argentina squad and 23 is the sort of age you expect players to be entering their prime.

A work permit also looks unlikely and this may just be a pointless pursuit when there are plenty of other worthwhile targets that could be pursued.