The news that West Ham will no longer use David Sullivan’s preferred agent, Will Salthouse, has been well received by most Hammers fans.

The Unique Sports Group boss has long been viewed as wielding an unhealthy influence over West Ham’s recruitment strategy — to such an extent that he was directly referenced as a “preferred agent” in the recent Fan Advisory Board’s vote of no confidence in the directors.

Claret & Hugh were informed yesterday by a source with strong inside knowledge at the London Stadium that Salthouse will not be used in the upcoming January transfer window. The final straw appears to have been his recommendation of striker Callum Wilson, a USG client.

Wilson was recommended to West Ham by Will Salthouse

Who’s Really to Blame?

If I’m honest, I don’t have a particularly strong opinion on Salthouse, whose influence is often overstated. Last season, he was involved in just one transfer — Aaron Wan-Bissaka — and this summer it was Wilson.

And while West Ham’s move for Wilson was precisely the kind of short-sighted transfer deal the club should be avoiding, it feels unfair to pin all the blame on the agent. David Sullivan...