The West Ham board have made a surprising transfer admission in the wake of a brutal triple blow to their summer recruitment ambitions.
West Ham may be about to pay a heavy price for leaving their most important summer transfer window business until last.
It has been clear for the best part of 18 months that the Hammers need to overhaul their midfield.
Between the owners, David Moyes, Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui, West Ham have made a mess of replacing Declan Rice.
That was always going to be a tough task given Rice is a generational talent.
But the Hammers have failed miserably to put the £105m to good use, signing a succession of one-paced, ageing midfielders who have none of the athleticism or dynamism Rice brought to West Ham’s midfield.
Edson Alvarez is for sale at a loss while Guido Rodriguez and Andy Irving are also being offered out to clubs.
West Ham leave most important business until last
Even Tomas Soucek, who has lost his starting place under Potter for the first time in his Hammers career, is said to be available for sale at the right price – even though he wants to stay.
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It has been widely reported that Graham Potter is desperate to bring in two midfielders to overhaul the engine room.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James McAtee and Jack Grealish have all been linked with moves to east London since Potter’s arrival in January.
However, West Ham had settled on Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey and Mateus Fernandes as their prime targets of late.
Hammers chief David Sullivan and his sons are close with agent Will Salthouse, who has been very influential in the club’s transfer business in recent years.
Salthouse represents Ramsey, so when speculation was intensifying about a West Ham move for the 24-year-old, fans held hope it was a deal that could get done.
A dejected West Ham head coach Graham Potter holds his hand to his face
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
With Southampton being relegated to the Championship, West Ham clearly have hopes Fernandes can be lured to the London Stadium too.
There have been a series of major developments this week that had left Potter’s midfield rebuild plans in tatters, though.
Now the West Ham board have made an eyebrow-raising transfer admission after a triple blow.
It has been revealed that Ramsey has chosen Newcastle over West Ham despite Salthouse’s influence.
That, the London factor and being a key starter have not been enough to persuade Ramsey West Ham were the right next step for his career.
West Ham board’s eyebrow-raising admission after triple blow
It seems Champions League football, the pull of working with Eddie Howe and potentially a much higher salary has made the difference in that deal as West Ham’s hopes are crushed.
With another target, McAtee, on the verge of joining Forest for £20m off the back of Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish signing for Everton, all West Ham’s eggs are in the Fernandes basket.
But the Hammers’ £30m bid for the 21-year-old Portuguese star was rejected yesterday with Saints reportedly telling Sullivan not to bother coming back unless he adds another £20m to the offer.
After that series of blows, Hammers News reached out to the top spokesman for the club’s owners for clarity on the situation.
And West Ham fans may not like what they are about to hear.
Mateus Fernandes during Southampton Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images
Because despite the club’s clear, obvious and dire need for new blood in central midfield, West Ham have confirmed they do not plan on signing two midfielders.
Worse still the club have stated it is proving hard to offload players in order to raise the additional funds needed, because the interested clubs they could go to simply don’t have the money.
A Sky Sports journalist close to Sullivan’s son Jack gave West Ham a glimmer of hope over a deal for Fernandes overnight.
There is a belief and hope among some fans that West Ham will come to a compromise with Saints like they did with Leicester for Mads Hermansen, who was initially valued at £30m-plus only to be sold for less than £18m.
It was put to the spokesman for the Hammers hierarchy whether they were quietly confident on a deal for Fernandes.
Hammers not ‘confident’ on Fernandes or looking to sign two midfielders
It was also put to the board whether the club are looking to sign Fernandes and another midfielder before the window closes.
The response will raise eyebrows and concerns among the club’s fans.
“No on both counts (not quietly confident on Fernandes or looking to sign two midfielders),” the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners exclusively told Hammers News.
“It is hard to move the fringe players on as there is no money in Europe.”
West Ham appear to be in a situation where they won’t be able to offer Saints anymore money for Fernandes unless they sell first.
But with the club admitting that is not happening either, Potter’s plans are stuck in the mud once more.
The Hammers will have to hope desperation at other clubs will prompt moves for the likes of Alvarez, Rodriguez, Emerson Palmieri and Maxwel Cornet.
They will also have to hope Fernandes is not snapped up by another club while they wait.