West Ham have received the best news of their summer transfer window so far as journalist Jacob Steinberg makes a stunning revelation about a deal with Southampton.
The Hammers have missed out on three reported midfield targets in the last week.
West Ham have been heavily linked with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James McAtee and Jack Grealish among several others since Graham Potter’s arrival in east London.
David Moyes has come back to haunt his old club by luring Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish to Everton.
Now it has emerged that Nottingham Forest have beaten the Hammers to McAtee too.
Hammers miss out on trio of midfield targets
Reports abound that McAtee is on the verge of a move from Man City to the City Ground in what appeared to be another blow to Potter’s plans.
It seems the reality is very different.
Aston Villa star Jacob Ramsey and Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes have been emerging as West Ham’s top targets for a midfield rebuild in recent weeks.
Ramsey is represented by agent Will Salthouse, a close friend of West Ham chief David Sullivan and his sons.
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Unai Emery has put the ball in Ramsey’s court over his future amid contact from West Ham.
It is thought the 24-year-old may wait to see whether he is going to be on the bench for Villa before deciding whether to accept a move to the London Stadium.
Mateus Fernandes during Southampton Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images
Portuguese midfielder Fernandes was one of Southampton’s top players in a dismal relegation campaign last season.
Signed for £15m from Sporting last summer, the 21-year-old is widely expected to leave St Mary’s as they face a season in the Championship.
A Sky Sports commentator revealed what Southampton have told Fernandes about joining West Ham this summer.
Effectively that he can leave if the Hammers pay his asking price.
Potter desperately needs more dynamism in midfield, as illustrated in the club’s last pre-season friendly of the summer with ex Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse failing to inspire.
Steinberg shares West Ham’s most exciting news yet
Now there has been a significant development with three weeks left of the window.
Because Jacob Steinberg has shared West Ham’s most exciting news of the summer with a stunning Saints deal revelation.
West Ham’s collection of slow, immobile midfielders who do not complement one another in any way, shape or form has been the club’s biggest problem of the last two years.
The Hammers were always going to struggle to replace Declan Rice given he is one of the best midfielders in world football.
But they have failed miserably to use the money to replace the key attributes he brought to the heart of West Ham’s midfield.
Mateus Fernandes points the way forward as he helps Southampton beat Wrexham
Photo by Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images
West Ham ‘confident’ of Fernandes deal with Saints ahead of first bid
The £30m signing of Ward-Prowse from Southampton was one of the ways West Ham looked to move on from Rice and it has not worked out.
Three managers and a sacked technical director in the last year mean West Ham have ended up with a Frankenstein midfield with few redeeming features.
That could all be about to change, though.
Because Guardian journalist Steinberg, who has strong contacts inside West Ham, claims the Hammers are about to submit their first bid for Fernandes.
Not only that, West Ham are ‘confident’ of striking a deal with the south coast club as well.
The report states that the Hammers may have to pay up to £30m for Fernandes, who is ‘not short of offers’.
But it is West Ham who are confident of winning the race.
That may be why the Hammers have pulled out of the race for the likes of McAtee and Grealish because they believe they can get their key target Fernandes.
Clearly Will Still would love to keep Fernandes at Southampton.
But he knows that will be unlikely given the player’s talent.
If he was going to join any club then a move to West Ham would undoubtedly please the football fan in Still.
Because the Saints boss is a lifelong West Ham fanatic who says it is his dream to manage the club one day.
Steinberg also confirmed West Ham do want to sign two new midfielders.
But getting a second will depend entirely on whether West Ham can offload Guido Rodriguez, Edson Alvarez and others to clear space and raise funds.