During West Ham United’s Premier League draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, Hammers chairman David Sullivan was pictured seated alongside football agent Will Salthouse. As the TV cameras panned to the directors’ box, the controversial agent was seen deep in conversation on his mobile phone while Sullivan looked suspiciously at a monitor displaying the game.
The pair’s relationship has been frequently discussed over the years at West Ham, and it’s fair to assume that Salthouse is one of Sullivan’s favoured agents.
It could simply be a case of two old friends meeting up before Christmas. However, as festive and lovely as that may seem, it’s far more likely the two were discussing West Ham’s potential transfer activity.
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Salthouse has facilitated a number of deals and represents current Hammers players, so perhaps his presence at the weekend’s fixture was just business as usual. Nonetheless, Claret & Hugh have been told directly by the club that they are looking to bring in a top-level centre-forward during this transfer window. I wonder if Salthouse has been asked to help find one.
The less said about Niclas Füllkrug’s first start in an Irons shirt, the better. But with Michail Antonio side-lined through injury for the foreseeable future, West Ham’s need for a new striker is glaringly obvious.
Salthouse may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but he did help bring in Aaron Wan-Bissaka during the summer, so it hasn’t all been bad. And before anyone gets overly worried about links to Marcus Rashford… he is represented by his brother, Dwaine Maynard