News that Michail Antonio was the subject of transfer interest from Nottingham Forest yesterday came alongside a comment which appears to have gone under the radar.
We were informed that new Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui is having something of a clear-out at West Ham, and it’s not the first time I’ve heard it mentioned either.
West Ham’s reported transfer fund is understood to be average at best, which goes some way to supporting the theory that players will have to be sold. However, trying to guess which of the current West Ham squad will be surplus to requirements for Lopetegui is not so easy.
Antonio’s name being mentioned was a puzzling one indeed because the new Hammers boss was understood to have attempted to sign the player while he was manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
West Ham were understood to have offered a player in part exchange in our attempts to sign Wolves defender Max Kilman, but it is unclear precisely who that mystery player was.
Reading between the lines, it’s probably safe to assume that Danny Ings is going to be jettisoned, and we know that Ben Johnson is soon to leave.
J-Lo’s defensive restructure
Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd are both available for transfer, but I’m not yet convinced the latter will happen. Flynn Downes is somebody who could possibly be of interest to Lopetegui, but the lure of guaranteed first-team football at Southampton will be hard to resist.
Maxwel Cornet is the forgotten man of West Ham, but he probably deserves a chance, and his flexibility may well be an asset to the new gaffers footballing ethos.
Vladimir Coufal would probably have to remain due to the paucity of options at right back, but his international teammate is more difficult to call. Tomas Soucek has been an excellent servant to West Ham, and his attitude, fighting spirit, and commitment cannot be questioned.
Unfortunately, everything we hear about our Spanish head coach indicates that he prefers technical footballers who are comfortable in possession. Despite all of Soucek’s numerous qualities, even his biggest fan would not call him a playmaker. Therefore, I believe he could be one of the players highlighted in this West Ham purge.
The truth is that nobody really knows apart from the manager himself and possibly director of football Tim Steidten. But what is certain is that we have a summer of massive upheaval ahead of us.