Currently situated in a position with virtually nothing to play for, West Ham will already have started diverting their attention towards summer recruitment plans. As per usual, social media has been churning out an abundance of rumours ranging from agonisingly underwhelming to downright unbelievable. In this article, I will evaluate a number of names that we should prioritise in the upcoming transfer window.
Last summer, we were linked with an audacious swoop for Dnipro playmaker Yevhen Konoplyanka. The Ukraine international would bring a much needed creative touch to our midfield. Konoplyanka operates primarily on the wing but can play through the middle too and his versatility could prove to be a useful tool if we can gain his services. The 25 year old could, however, cost between £10m-£15m which might put us off.
West Ham have made it clear that we will look to bolster our attacking options in the summer and one player’s name will always be whispered: Carlos Tevez. Tevez is a West Ham legend after being the catalyst in our escape from relegation in 2006/07 and he is very public about the fact that he adores the club and the fans. Rumours and hearsay suggest that the owners want to re-sign the 31 year old to spearhead our attack as we enter our last year at the Boleyn Ground. As much as we would like to believe in this, the likelihood of it actually happening falls short of realistic.
He is currently settled as the star performer of Champions League quarter-finalists Juventus and only has a few years left at the peak of his career which I presume he would like to spend playing regular Champions League football. But if there is even the slightest chance of us pulling this off, we should direct all our efforts into making it happen; Tevez is, after all, a world class goalscorer that is already well acquainted with Premiership and European football.
Another exciting rumour is Javier Hernandez. The poacher has failed to make an impact on loan at Real Madrid and does not seem to feature in Louis Van Gaal’s plans at Manchester United. If he is available at £8m, it may be a worthwhile investment to fork that money out for the 26 year old who is a proven Premier League goalscorer. Chicharito is not short of suitors though, with Tottenham, Everton and Stoke also vying for his signature should he be made available for transfer at the end of the season. Tevez and Hernandez would definitely be better options than our other striker targets, such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Abel Hernandez or Connor Wickham.
We are also supposedly monitoring Mainz midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger. The Austrian international has impressed our scouts with his performances for the Bundesliga side and he has apparently cryptically hinted that he would be interested in a move to West Ham. Let’s hope that, if we do sign the 27 year old, he has more of a positive impact at Upton Park than our last Austrian international, Emmanuel Pogatetz.
Let me now consider some defensive options. Reports suggest that we are currently leading the race for Switzerland sensation Fabian Schar. The 23 year old currently plays for FC Basel and is also being hotly pursued by the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham. Schar is considered one of Europe’s finest prospects so we would have to act quickly to secure his services but the Metro have recently reported that we have agreed a £5m fee for the centre back. This would be a great coup and add some exciting youth to our ranks.
If we fail to attract Schar to East London, we need not panic. There are plenty of reasonable alternatives for us to consider. On January deadline day we almost agreed a deal to sign Genk defender Kara Mbodj with insiders hinting that the deal would be reignited in the summer with the Senegalese international very much at the forefront of the club’s targets. Mbodj is a strong, combative centre back who has also attracted interest from Chelsea but may be tempted to join fellow countrymen Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate at West Ham.
We have also been linked with Manchester City exile Micah Richards. The former England international is on loan at Fiorentina at the moment but it appears the Serie A outfit do not want to make his deal permanent. Richards would provide versatility at the back and we could snap him up on a free transfer once his contract ends with Manchester City in the summer. Wages might be a stumbling block, though, but he is a good quality defensive option who we should keep in mind if deals for Schar and Mbodj fall through.
Lewis Dunk of Brighton must also be discussed as we have been strongly linked with him in the past. He has been Brighton’s standout performer in a lacklustre season for the Seagulls and a host of Premier League clubs are interested in £5m-rated Dunk.
Despite all of the aforementioned names that we have been rumoured with, West Ham’s priority must be to sign Carl Jenkinson on a permanent deal from Arsenal. Reports surfaced this week claiming that Arsene Wenger will allow Jenkinson the freedom to move on considering his other options at right back (Bellerin, Chambers and Debuchy). West Ham will surely be Jenkinson’s first choice as he is settled in Essex, where he has lived his whole life.
The England under-21 international seems to have slotted right into the West Ham family and has publicly expressed his happiness at playing for the Hammers so it seems a perfect match. This, I predict, will be our first activity in the summer window and we should be able to get it wrapped up without too much hassle, provided that Arsenal are not unreasonable with their transfer fee demands.
