West Ham ITK ExWHUEmployee has revealed the identity of the Hammers’ next inbound transfer — but it comes with a depressing caveat.
Being careful not to shoot the messenger here, Ex has stated that Edson Álvarez’s sale should then see West Ham move for a midfielder, most likely Ngal’ayel Mukau of Lille.
Firstly, the good news: whoever is steering transfers at the London Stadium is targeting the likes of Mukau. The bad news? Álvarez needs to be offloaded first. To be fair to Ex, he’s only repeating what the mainstream media are reporting about the club having to sell before they buy — but it’s still a worrying development.
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Let me make one thing crystal clear: if West Ham really do need to flog yet another player before bringing one in, that’s extremely concerning. The club have already made more than enough savings on wages, so another player leaving on loan shouldn’t make much difference.
Mukau impressed against West Ham in the final pre-season friendly
Anyway, multiple media outlets were already reporting last week that “bids were in” for players — so which one is the truth?
How long will West Ham have to wait for the next transfer in?
Karren Brady went on TalkSport this week and told listeners that “anyone could see” West Ham needed a fast midfielder, and that the club were working on it. Mukau looks a decent option, and certainly impressed for Lille at the London Stadium, but Graham Potter’s team need much more than that. By my reckoning, we’re still a creative midfielder, a fast striker, and a robust central defender away from being competent.
The chase for the next signing — whether it’s Mukau or anyone else — will be seriously hindered if West Ham really do have to offload Álvarez first. As C&H reported earlier, his deal is becoming more complex with new bidders circling, and the Mexican could even end up on the bench for Chelsea if things don’t move quickly.
That would mean no new signings until the final week of the transfer window — and that feels far too close for comfort.