Despite West Ham being behind the curve (no surprise there) regarding bidding, a new report this Sunday claims the Irons have made up their mind as to their top priority for midfield reinforcement ahead of the 1st September deadline. And it is neither of the aforementioned Raphael Onyedika nor Ngal’ayel Mukau, both excellent prospects- but neither, apparently, at the top of the West Ham Wishlist.
Despite the fact that Nottingham Forest, by all accounts, out bid West Ham at the weekend, insidefutbol.com claim that the West Ham crosshairs – at least for today – rest on Monaco star Soungoutou Magassa.
In a case of transfer Hokey Cokey, West Ham appear to have been in, and out, and in, and out again for the versatile midfielder who was the subject of a failed €16 million bid for the 21 year old Nigerian and, according to the report, having seen Nottingham Forest outbid them, the Hammers are back ‘in’:
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“Potter’s side are discussing a deal worth €20m for the France Under-21 international and both clubs are negotiating add-ons.”
Remember, of course, that the player’s demands were reported as already having been met with a six year deal agreed between West Ham and ‘midfield monster’ Magassa’s camp. Surely an easy deal to do, if the cash is really there and the player is happy to come: Whether Nottingham Forest will let him go without a fight remains to be seen but Magassa, at such a young age and still not the finished article, now has two strife-torn Premier League sides desperate for his signature.
What could possibly go wrong.
The one thing to bear in mind is that these international news web sites are often 24 hours behind the news: Yesterday the Hammers were claimed to be chasing both Lorenzo Pellegrini and Kenneth Taylor: The reality is that they’re probably bidding for all three. Desperate times call for desperate measures.