West Ham are reportedly in talks over a bargain move for an exciting wonderkid as Kyle Macaulay starts putting his stamp on the club’s transfer business.
The Hammers’ head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay is having a very different experience than he was used to at Chelsea and Brighton.
When both clubs – but especially Chelsea – wanted a player, they invariably went out and got the deal done.
West Ham are not Chelsea but Graham Potter has put on record that he wants them to be more like Brighton.
Macaulay’s influence on West Ham plans becomes clear
Potter has stated he wants to emulate that Brighton model where the Hammers go out and sign top young talents they can develop who have big resale value potential.
West Ham paid Chelsea £1.2m to reunite Macaulay with Potter in January.
But the Hammers are a world away from the Blues in terms of finances and PSR position.
It means West Ham must sell to buy.
But with no sales made as yet, Macaulay can do little to actually start Potter’s much-needed West Ham rebuild around young players.
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Things may be about to change, though.
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There is new hope West Ham will bring in around £17m soon.
And now it is being reported that West Ham are ‘in talks’ to sign a wonderkid nicknamed ‘Hurricane’ as Macaulay makes his mark.
While Macaulay is working closely with Potter to identify West Ham’s targets, it is up to de facto director of football David Sullivan to try and get deals done.
Potter has made it clear he wants to drastically lower the age of the Premier League’s oldest squad.
There has been doom and gloom around West Ham’s summer transfer window so far.
West Ham ‘in talks’ to sign wonderkid nicknamed ‘Hurricane’
But the full summer window has only just opened today and now is when the Hammers will need to start making progress.
And there are some positives.
As well as money potentially coming in soon, a powerhouse likened to Declan Rice will join West Ham with young hotshot striker Daniel Cummings on July 1.
Now in addition to those two arrivals, another top emerging talent could be on his way to the London Stadium.
There has been some rather harsh criticism and early judgement passed on Macaulay already in certain West Ham circles.
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But if the Hammers pull off a move for Adama Bojang – with a bargain fee being reported – that will all change.
According to The Mirror, West Ham have launched a move to sign African wonderkid Bojang – who has previously been on the radar of the likes of Man United, Chelsea and Man City.
The wiry 22-year-old forward is lightning quick and stands at a whopping 6ft 3in tall – earning him the nickname ‘The Gambian Hurricane’.
Bojang worked under lifelong Hammers fan – and new Southampton boss – Will Still at Reims.
Now he could be set to join West Ham with the club said to be ‘in talks’ over a deal with the relegated French outfit.
Bojang was loaned to Swiss side Grasshopper where he has scored six goals in 22 games.
His finishing with both feet is supreme and his strength and skill are just as impressive as his pace.
It is claimed Reims know they have ‘no choice’ but to sell Bojang and a fee of just £10m has been mooted.
Although their desperation for cash might mean an even cheaper deal can be struck.
The Hammers aren’t the only show in town with other sides said to be making enquiries.
It is only West Ham who have held talks, though, as Macaulay’s influence becomes clear.
Now it will be down to whether the Hammers can get a sale or two sorted so they have the funds to get their own signings over the line.
Should Bojang arrive, the Premier League will clearly be a huge step up. But he has all the attributes needed to develop into a top player in English football.
This approach is also what many Hammers fans have wanted to see the club’s recruitment look like for a long time now – in line with the Red Bull model.
So supporters will just have to “trust the process”.
Potter promised an “exciting and interesting” summer. If West Ham are targeting potentially elite young talents like Bojang then that will certainly be the case.