After a slow start to the window, a journalist claims West Ham are leading the race for Graham Potter’s top target but warns ex boss David Moyes is trying to bring him to Everton instead.
David Moyes could come back to haunt his old club by hijacking a move for the player Graham Potter thinks holds the key to changing everything at West Ham.
Moyes did a superb job at the London Stadium and is continuing his fine work since taking charge of Everton.
But there is no getting away from the fact the Scot played his part in West Ham’s failure to properly replace Declan Rice.
Moyes partly to blame for West Ham’s major midfield issue
It was always going to be next to impossible to replace Rice like-for-like.
But the Hammers dismally failed to ensure the midfield had power, pace and legs with the £105m earned from his exit.
West Ham have had a chance to rectify that since Moyes left and subsequently rejoined Everton.
But they have somehow made things worse, adding ageing, immobile players to an already stodgy collection of very similar midfielders.
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Potter plans to change that this summer by rebuilding West Ham around young, dynamic talents.
As he signed off a difficult first six months in charge – during which time Everton overturned a nine-point gap to finish ahead of the Irons – Potter conceded West Ham are ‘nowhere near’ where he wants them to be in terms of how the team plays and functions.
There is one player the Hammers boss and head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay are convinced will transform the team overnight.
But while there is good news that the Hammers are leading the race for his signature, they now face late competition from Everton, who are attempting to hijack the move.
West Ham lead race for Onyedika but Everton have other ideas
Potter and Macaulay have identified Club Brugge lynchpin Raphael Onyedika as their new midfield general.
Nigerian Onyedika is the man West Ham want to revolutionise their midfield this summer.
Defensive midfielder Onyedika is entering the last two years of his contract and his club have no option, nor is there said to be any intention on the player’s side, for it to be extended.
Club Brugge have actually already admitted they must sell this summer with a bargain fee of around £17m initially being touted.
Encouragingly, Club Brugge have already agreed a deal to sign Onyedika’s replacement this summer.
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AC Milan have pulled out of the race, moving to sign his teammate Ardon Jashari – another Hammers target – instead.
That was allegedly after Milan found out West Ham had pre-emptively agreed personal terms with Onyedika and the player only wants a move to the Premier League.
Now Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri has revealed West Ham are in ‘pole position’ for Onyedika, who bears more than a passing resemblance to a Macaulay Brighton signing Moises Caicedo.
The problem is, they are now neck-and-neck with Everton after Moyes launched his own bid to hijack the deal.
Hammers move for Caicedo-esque Onyedika ‘most concrete’
Tavolieri says West Ham’s move is the ‘most concrete’ so far.
But the added competition from Everton has pushed the price up to around £25m, the journalist states.
Intriguingly, Tavolieri has teased further information on the transfer tussle is on the way soon.
Onyedika is the man who, like Caicedo, drops in front of the defence to help stop attacks – but also to take the ball from the goalkeeper and defence in order to start the vast majority of moves for his side.
Given how key Potter and Macaulay believe Onyedika is to the way West Ham will play, the Hammers board simply must find a way to make this happen in order to beat the Toffees to the deal.