RB Leipzig manager Julien Nagelsmann has dealt a blow to West Ham’s hunt for a new centre-forward before the transfer window closes.
It has been reported that South Korean marksman Hwang Hee-chan is a primary target for the Hammers before Monday’s deadline, but Nagelsmann has ruled out the chances of selling him.
Citing concerns over squad depth, the 33-year-old was clear that he will be retaining the Korean striker into the second half of the Bundesliga season. In quotes shared on Twitter by journalist Ronan Murphy, Nagelsmann insisted:
Unless we get two more strikers, which I don’t think we will, it doesn’t make sense at all to give him away. Not from his point of view and not from ours either.
I understand why Hwang requested a transfer. But I need to see more of Hwang’s training. He did not have much time to develop himself through his training, and he did not show his worth. He had a difficult time with [his health].
Hwang has yet to make a single start in the Bundesliga this season amid fierce competition for places. RB Leipzig have Emil Forsberg and Yussef Poulsen as their main options, whilst former Crystal Palace target man Alexander Sorloth has also featured with regularity.
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The idiom that there are plenty of fish in the sea is one which might not ordinarily be expected to apply to West Ham’s recruitment efforts. However, it may well have to be the case this time around.
The Hammers have been linked with an array of striking options and could be set to revisit any number of them before the denouement of this transfer window.
Judging by Nagelsmann’s emphatic comments, Hwang can realistically be removed from David Moyes’ wish list.
