West Ham manager Graham Potter has made a personal phone call to Angel Gomes in an attempt to rescue the Hammers’ failing transfer deal.
The news was revealed to Claret & Hugh this morning during a conversation with a source close to the player.
It comes after increasing media attention suggesting the Hammers were pulling out of a deal for the soon-to-be free agent.
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However, C&H understands that new West Ham boss Potter is desperate to land England midfielder Gomes as he seeks to overhaul the Irons squad.
Unfortunately for Potter and West Ham, the issue doesn’t appear to be a lack of interest in the coach. Instead, it’s the underwhelming offer put forward by the club, which has left the Hammers trailing their Premier League rivals in terms of wages and signing fees.
C&H was informed: “The manager has called Gomes personally, and there is the potential for a meeting.”
“But West Ham made a low offer ages ago, and nobody has come back to even ask what it would take to sign the player. West Ham are about 15th down the list.”
There certainly seems to be confusion on the side of Gomes and his team, who were less than impressed with the nature of the January approach.
The source continued: “The new manager [Potter] wants him, but the effort from the club doesn’t really match that. It’s odd because they’ll throw money at Soler and Rodriguez but offer Gomes less.”
Reading between the lines and following two months of listening to both sides on this transfer mess, it really does seem incredibly unlikely. As we reported earlier, West Ham are lacking an experienced transfer negotiator, and it is seriously hurting the club’s chances of landing players identified by the manager and scouting department.
Hopefully, there will be some high-level intervention in terms of negotiations because the failed bids for Gomes and Jhon Durán have left the club looking like something of a joke.