West Ham will allow two peripheral young players to leave the club on deadline day.
Academy graduate Josh Cullen is set to sign for Belgian giants RSC Anderlecht on a three-year deal, with West Ham receiving a nominal fee worth less than £1 million according to Sky Sports [Transfer Centre, 5/10/2020, 9:05].
The Irishman will join fellow academy graduate Grady Diangana in leaving the club, with Diangana having joined Premier League rivals West Brom in an £18 million deal.
Portuguese youngster Xande Silva will also leave today as he joins Greek side Aris on a season-long loan. The 23-year-old prospect joined the Hammers for Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes in the summer of 2018 but has struggled to be a significant goal-scoring option at the London Stadium.
Silva has made just one Premier League appearances, accumulating most of his playing minutes developing with the U23 squad.
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These deals represent a chance for West Ham to shift peripheral players out of the club. Silva will gain valuable experience in Greece as Cullen will look to kickstart his career with more regular playing time in Belgium.
It appears to be a largely quiet window for West Ham, with few signs of further incomings beyond Vladimir Coufal. Whilst the deals are for non-essential players, fans will be disappointed at the nominal fee for Cullen.
Unless a last-minute piece of shock transfer news emerges, West Ham look to have failed to significantly strengthen their squad. Whilst the deals represent good moves for the individual players, the club will receive minimal proceeds in terms of transfer income that could potentially be re-invested.
West Ham fans have every right to be disappointed in the board’s lack of backing in David Moyes – though impressive and decisive wins over Leicester and Wolves in recent weeks should offer cause for optimism.
