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West Ham’s 2–2 draw at Burnley delivered a familiar frustration: Nuno Espírito Santo retreating into his default philosophy of sitting deep and protecting a lead, a tactic that has failed repeatedly and cost the club dearly last season, 20 points West Ham threw away from winning positions! Yet in response his words post game were “We need to get better. We have many things to improve, and for sure we will improve.” Another eyebrow‑raiser was Burnley boss Nicky Hayden happily starting Zian Flemming, a player expected to leave Turf Moor, with Leeds United reportedly interested. It certainly paid off, as the attacking midfielder scored two goals. Nuno had the same option and chose not to use it, causing a squad selection circus. Despite rumours claiming Edson Alvarez and Soungoutou Magassa were missing due to a “knock” and returning from injury, other players who were fit and available and most importantly on the payroll didn’t make the squad: Niclas Füllkrug, Aaron Wan‑Bissaka, Jean‑Clair Todibo, and Maxwel Cornet. Unless it’s pure arrogance, how do players put themselves in the shop window if they aren’t playing? El Hadji Malick Diouf made the bench largely because Nuno could barely assemble a matchday group. The situation borders on absurd when Arne Engels was still playing for Celtic mid‑transfer talks with West Ham. By the end of the window, the club could see up to sixteen departures. Only four signings have arrived, all effectively funded by outgoing transfers. It’s a squad shrinking faster than anyone thought, yet expected to be able to handle the huge 46 game workload. Should Daniel Křetínský, as expected, be confirmed as the club’s largest shareholder, he will inevitably point to the boardroom battle with Amanda Staveley as the reason a crucial loan was delayed or prevented, a loan that might have unlocked desperately needed transfer funds. The refusal to meet AZ Alkmaar’s valuation of Troy Parrott already signals the club’s limited ambition in the market. If the squad struggles, that decision will be held up as a glaring miscalculation. Yet the hierarchy appear to be gambling on a top‑eight finish, even though only the top two guarantee automatic promotion. It’s a high‑risk strategy with a squad that’s thinning by the week. According to some reports, Jarrod Bowen can leave for just £15m next summer if West Ham fail to reach the Premier League. The club would be forced to sell simply to clear wages, a staggering scenario for a player of his calibre. For now, bookmakers and rival clubs still label West Ham as title contenders. But none of that accounts for the scale of the squad depletion, something many fans overlooked as we rushed to renew our season tickets. It’s too soon for full‑blown criticism, but plenty of supporters will already be asking questions, such as-are there really limited transfer funds, is Nuno making a point to the Board that he needs players, and was the bulk of transfer fees received used for financing the debt? The latter is clearly sensible, yet with a large exodus and a further 45 league games, the team needs some players – and that will require funding!