Wednesday 24 August 2016 23:46, UK
Slaven Bilic says West Ham will not beg strikers to join the club this summer, despite having several forwards missing through injury.
West Ham have missed out on a number of high-profile targets this summer, while club-record signing Andre Ayew was ruled out for up to four months after suffering an injury on his Premier League debut against Chelsea.
Carlos Bacca was reportedly linked with a move to the London Stadium, before confirming he would stay at AC Milan, and Bilic conceded the deal was never likely to happen.
Bilic has confirmed his interest in signing Wilfried Bony and Simone Zaza ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline, while the club have also opened talks with Chelsea over Loic Remy, according to Sky sources.
However, the former Croatia boss insists he will not try to force players into moving to West Ham.
"I think Bacca is impossible," Bilic said. "He scored a hat-trick. Also I was the one who called it off three weeks ago in Austria. I wanted him, of course, but I don't want to have to drag players to West Ham.
"We are not Real Madrid or Manchester United but we are a good club and a proud club with players who are proud to play for us.
"Lots of players want to come to West Ham, believe me. They are calling me every day. So I was the one who said there was no point continuing with Bacca. We are not going to beg anyone to play for us.
"I wasn't angry at him. He is at a great club on great money and he wants to stay on that level. And of course we are not at that level. We want to be in a few years but we are not there yet. I keep saying that just having a stadium, ambition and money that match those clubs, does not make you one of them."
Bacca scored a hat-trick for AC Milan in their Serie A opener on Sunday, while Michy Batshuayi - who was a reported target for West Ham earlier in the window - now has four goals in his three competitive appearances for Chelsea.
"We knew before everybody and were already watching all those players," he joked.
"We should get something from those clubs! We are better than any pre-season. Want your player to score a hat-trick? Here's West Ham's number!"
Bilic had said he was growing frustrated with injury-plagued Andy Carroll, who will now spend up to six weeks on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury, but now insists he will stay behind the 27-year-old despite his recurring knocks.
"I'm never going to give up on Andy, he is so good and I like to stick with the players I feel are giving me everything," he added.
"I like and love him as a player, even as a person. He is trying, he is doing everything.
"He passed the whole pre-season and he trains like he plays. But it was the movement of the knee. He just came on. It was not fatigue. A bad move on a bad pitch, bad kind of grass that caused that.
"He is bringing you quality in every game, you count on him and the suddenly he is out."
