Shall we try to get this youngster on loan?

Following his big money move from the South Coast to North London last summer, Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlaine hasn't seen as much first team football as maybe be anticipated and although he's already got a competitive England start under his belt, I wonder if he'll play week in week out for the gunners next season.

The lad is still in his teens and a loan move to a newly promoted side may just be a good way of him establishing himself in the Premier League before he bids to become a regular in Arsene's side.

I know many will laugh this suggestion off and brand it as over ambitious but considering we've been linked with Beckham, Henry, Tevez and Torres under the Davids' ownership, this would be far from their most ambitious move yet!

I do believe that he will be a first team player for Arsenal next season as he didn't look out of his depth against a strong French team but on the off chance Wenger feels he needs more time to develop, I think we should be lurking in the background prepared to make a bid!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Time to splash the cash?

It was announced yesterday that Burnley's Jay Rodriguez has signed for Southampton for a club record fee in the region of £7m which suggests they mean serious business both in the transfer market and the Premier League!

Is it time Big Sam started flashing the £25m that's reportedly available to him? I'm on the fence. We all want to grab a few bargains with a cheap, underrated player but sometimes big names are worth the big price tag. We got very lucky in January with Vaz Te as he only had 6 months left on his contract and Barnsley decided the smart option would be to gain £500k than to have him leave on a free in the summer. On the other hand, when we signed Dean Ashton he soon lived up to his price tag with some vital goals in our debut season back in the Premiership along with a goal in the FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool. So, while occasionally you'll get lucky with a bargain as we did with our play-off final match winner, you usually get what you paid for and I have faith in Sam this summer.

We look set to sign Yakubu from the relegated Blackburn any day now in a deal worth no more than £2m and we've also been linked with a few players who could seriously dent the transfer fund with Zaha's valuation from his current chairman exceeding £10m.

It's very early days and rumour has it that our first summer signing - aside from the permanent signing of Stephen Henderson that is - is to be announced in the next 48 hours so it would appear that Big Sam, the Davids and all involved are busy as ever as we bid to stay in the Premier League!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Are you watching, Sam?

So the Euro has started in Poland and Ukraine and I hope Sam is watching because already there have been some exciting talent on show.

Young Dzagoev turned a few heads with his brace against Czech Republic, Oliveira was impressive in Portugal's defeat to Germany and Varela weren't bad as well.

Okay the examples I've used may not be realistic targets but you see what I mean, there is a lot of previously unseen talent in Europe and major tournaments like this are a great opportunity for these players to showcase their talent and impress Europe's elite clubs. 

We managed to pick up a few players who impressed during the world cup 2 years ago with Winston Reid impressing as the Kiwis went unbeaten in South Africa and Barrera catching the eye for Mexico. Although Barrera has been a forgotten man, Reid has proved to be a good signing. His debut season in English football wasn't exactly one to remember, aside from his goal in the FA Cup against Burnley but I think it's fair to say given his contribution this season he's been a very good signing and lets not forget he's still young. 

Now I'm not saying we should instantly snap up anyone who has a good game but it has to be worth keeping an eye out for young talent because you never know who might step up to the plate in a tournament like this.

It also appears that a deal for Yakubu is close to being finalised subject to the forward passing a medical and it appears that the signing of Jaaskelainen is imminent and it's just a case of when it's announced officially!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Baldock linked with Town

With Sam Baldock falling further and further down the pecking order behind Carlton Cole, Nicky Maynard and Ricardo Vaz Te toward the end of the season and over half of Big Sam's targets being strikers, little Sam is being linked with a move away from Upton Park this summer.

He's been linked with a loan switch to Ipswich in recent weeks which could be a very good move to aid his development. When I first heard about this I was disappointed as you may have figured out by now, I'm a massive fan of Baldock. When he first started scoring with two braces against Blackpool then Leicester he was being compared to Michael Owen and even the legend that is Tony Cottee. And to be quite honest, considering his level of performance against Blackpool when he scored his first, and subsequently second goal for us I don't think them comparisons were too exaggerated. His first against Blackpool showed composure that can't be coached or learned, but comes naturally to those lucky enough to possess such a skill. His second had Michael Owen written all over it; he seemed to sneak in out of nowhere in the six yard box and poke it over the line. But when it occurred to me that he is still in his early 20's and he was high Big Sam's transfer wish list last summer, he must be one for the future and so I think, as long as he gets into the Blues' squad often enough, another season in the Championship will do him good.

Despite this, a winning brace against Leicester and a pivotal goal against Hull at the KC Stadium, Big Sam often opted for Carlton Cole as a lone striker and so he was resigned to the odd substitute appearance. Maybe if he could have grabbed one or two goals from the bench he would have staked a claim but it wasn't to be. Then came the January transfer window and as a result of the arrivals of Vaz Te and Nicky Maynard he was almost a forgotten man.

It's obvious he's not going to play often - if at all - in the Premiership next year with the likes of Anelka, Yakubu and even Michael Owen being linked with moves to East London and with no disrespect to them, he's just as good as Ipswich's best forwards in my opinion.

As long as this is purely a loan deal to further his development and not another promising player that's fallen by the wayside I would be happy for this to happen. As much as I'd like to see him get his chance in the big boys' league, I'd much prefer him to be shipped out on loan and gain some first team experience than have him wasted in the reserves league!

Let me know what you think by following me on Twitter: @WHUThruAndThru or leaving a comment!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Au revoir Faubert!

So this week has seen the departure of a number of players, one of which was Julien Faubert.

In all honesty it's no surprise that he's left because the first half of the season aside, he's hardly been a key player or even a first team player during his time at Upton Park.

Will it be a move we come to regret though? Earlier this season when we were short on centre halves, the decision to sell Day Costa was looking to be a regrettable one and I hope we don't look back on this in the same way.

I think it's probably the best move for all involved as he's seeking first team football and to be blunt, he wouldn't be my first choice right back or winger. Or even second for that matter. He would provide good cover and his versatility in that he can play anywhere down the right is a useful asset to use but if he wants first team football and he's not regarded a starting player at the club then it does appear to be a good move for all involved, especially as he was a big earner!

I do think we need another right back though as both Joey O'Brien and Demel have their weaknesses but maybe Jordan Spence will get his chance in the first team, at long last it has to be said!

Let me know what you think about Julien's departure by leaving a comment or follow me on twitter @WHUThruAndThru

COME ON YOU IRONS!

The drama of the summer transfer window is under way!

It's been 9 happy days since we saw off Blackpool to take our place in the Premier League and there's already talk of transfers to bolster our squad for the challenge ahead, exciting times!

We've already been linked with a couple strikers with Baldock - said to be on his way to Ipswich on loan - and Maynard already branded failures by the tabloids which is unfair to say the least but that's a whole other story on its own!

On the plus side, the strikers we're being linked with are fresh, exciting young players rather than another John Carew. We've been linked with Nigerian international Akpala, currently playing for Brugge, who has already stated how flattered he is by interest from the Premier League.  Also on Big Sam's radar is young Herenveen forward Bas Dost who boasts an incredible goalscoring record in Holland with a £7m bid reportedly already on the table.

Michael Owen is also available on a free after Sir Alex Ferguson revealed he would not be renewing the veteran's contract and former hammer Tony Cottee has already endorsed a possible move to East London. Would he be a decent signing? There's talk of him signing on a pay-as-you-play contract wherever he may be playing next season and on that basis I think he could be a very handy player to have at our disposal. If we were only to pay him for every game he plays, it's a no win situation. It's hardly risking the bank - depending on how much how much we pay him per game - so even if he flops and/or spends the entire season in the treatment room, we'd have nothing to lose!

I love the summer transfer window and I remember how excited I was this time 7 years ago as we attempted to build a team fit for the Premiership as it all added towards the build up to the season!

If Big Sam could build a team capable of achieving anything close to what Pardew's men did in our debut season back in the top tier of English football that year, we're in for a cracking season!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Season review

What a season. We've experienced so many different emotions this season and what a rollercoaster it's been.

I think it's a season that will live long in the memory and thanks to that famous Wembley win on Saturday, for all the right reasons. We were 4 points clear at the top off the table and yet following a run of draws - five in a row at home - we ended the season 2 points outside the automatic promotion places and 3 off top spot. Despite this we managed to rally the troops and finish the season on a high winning 5 in a row, most importantly all 3 of our play off games culminating in a 2-1 victory over Blackpool at the national stadium.

But what have we learned? Here's a few things I think we can take away from this incredible season:

It seems we've had the perfect mix between youth and experience this season with hammer of the year Mark Noble playing alongside the exoerienced Kevin Nolan proving an impressive central midfield partnership. Faye has also been a good partner at the back with either Reid or Tomkins playing a vital role and despite him leaving I'm thankful for his efforts this season.

Players who have been forgotten recently have been unlikely heroes in the latter stages in the season, particularly Gary O'Neil and Jack Collison in my opinion. I've never hidden the fact that Gary O'Neil is not exactly my favourite player but he's definitely proved me wrong! He's scored vital goals against Blackpool and Peterborough and really asserted himself in the starting 11. It's a completely different story with Collison though, he was just about proving himself in the first team when he suffered a horrific injury that kept him on the sidelines all last season. He's come back strong this season but hadn't really cemented his place on Big Sam's team sheet until late in the season by scoring a venomous volley, proving to be the winner against Leicester and at the time, keeping our automatic promotion hopes alive. He then followed that up with a brace in the first quarter of our play off semi-final in Cardiff.

We've seen James Tomkins establish himself in the first team, being one of the first names on the team sheet every week and I couldn't be more confident of his ability to ply his trade in the Premiership. I think he'll go on to be a club legend if he carries on the way he is because he's already a fan favourite and he's only in his early twenties.

Kevin Nolan has really taken the club to his heart too. I wasn't entirely convinced of his commitment at the start of the season but he's shown real passion since and really wears his heart on his sleeve and I think he's a brilliant character for Mark Noble to be working alongside.

Carlton Cole is Mr West Ham. He really loves the club and I'm so happy for him to have got a goal at Wembley because if anyone deserves to prove their critics wrong, it's him.

They are just a few of the main lessons we can take away from this season, if you can think of any more leave a comment or tweet me!

COME ON YOU IRONS!