Great transfer window for West Ham says Stan Collymore

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including why Premier League teams are bothered about winning in pre-season, why West Ham fans should be happy with their transfer window so far, why Victor Osimhen could become the poster boy for the Premier League and much more. 

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Premier League teams have one motivation in pre-season… and it isn’t winning

I’m talking as purely as a pundit but obviously using my experience as a player… pre-season is several things for an individual player. First, it’s to get fit. Secondly, to avoid injury. Thirdly, it’s to get yourself on the line on match day one and be as close as possible to not blowing out of your backside on what is guaranteed to be a hot, sunny, August day.

So, beyond pure fitness, if you can rattle in a few goals, fantastic – though it’s not the be all and end all.

I think the point I want to make in this… pre-season games are so far removed from what playing on match day one to match day six in the Premier League is like that it’s actually quite frightening.

There is very little in terms of pre-season work that prepares you for the first day of the season because usually it’s a warm day in August and the crowd dictates that you come out of the traps at 100 miles an hour when you haven’t got 100 miles an hour in your tank.

In all honesty, I think that for most players, as long as they can get through pre-season unscathed, that’s all that matters.

Don’t forget that some players have still got to come back off holidays after the Euros and who haven’t been available for selection yet. They’re going to be undercooked when it comes to the first five or six games of the season.

The primary motivation for any coach and manager is to see their players come through pre-season unscathed and so that there are no serious injuries to key players that could have a material impact on the first few games of the season.

If you remember, Man City in the Premier League at the start of last season were undercooked, but it still didn’t stop them comfortably winning the title.

Emile Smith Rowe can reignite his club and international career at Fulham

Fulham’s a great club, they’ve got all of the facilities that a high profile player would want, and Emile Smith Rowe wouldn’t have to move very far.

I think that it’s interesting that two years ago, maybe just a bit over, before Unai Emery came in,…