Recent reports coming out of Stoke City may bode well in West Ham United’s January pursuit of goalkeeper Jack Butland.
The former England no. 1 is said to available for £20million and West Ham are expected to try and sign a new face to provide competition for Lukasz Fabianski.
According to The Telegraph, Stoke could be ready to offload Butland next month in order to balance the books, with Joe Allen also heading for the exit door.
The report claims new manager Michael O’Neill wants to clear out his squad and although fringe players will be prioritised, a few big earners could be on their way out too.
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West Ham are in need of a new goalkeeper, either in January or at the end of the summer and it certainly seems like Butland is available.
I wouldn’t have thought Fabianski will lose his place as first-choice goalkeeper soon though, so it’d be very questionable splashing out £20m on a back-up option.
Butland is certainly a viable option to replace Fabianski in the long-term, but if the Hammers are simply wanting a new back-up option to take the pressure off Roberto and David Martin, there are probably better options.
