West Ham have made it clear they will need to sell players before they can buy and a cunning but risky plan could pay for it.
Three months ago West Ham technical director Tim Steidten was being hailed a hero.
The Hammers were lauded by fans, pundits and journalists for ‘winning the transfer window’.
Nine players arrived to the tune of over £155m.
Twelve departed with few tears shed over many of the names heading for the West Ham exit door.
Just as importantly, though, the Hammers kept hold of their star players like Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
Things have not worked out so far, though.
West Ham are 14th in the Premier League table and out of the Carabao Cup nearly a third of the way through the season.
There have been some embarrassing defeats and performance levels have piled pressure on Julen Lopetegui.
The situation, with some of the summer signings having not worked out thus far, has also turned the heat up on Steidten and the owners.
Many have questioned the decision to let James Ward-Prowse leave on loan.
Especially as Carlos Soler, who arrived on loan as his replacement, has looked lightweight and ineffective in his limited game time so far.
Ward-Prowse was clearly limited in open play. But he managed 18 goals and assists in his debut season at West Ham, a contribution which has not been replaced.
Maxwel Cornet and Nayef Aguerd also departed the club on loan to Southampton and Real Sociedad respectively.
Aguerd had been woefully inconsistent since arriving from Rennes for £30m.
Cunning West Ham money-raising plan pays off big time
So his departure was not unexpected, especially after West Ham signed Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman.
Aguerd made it clear when he left he had no intention of returning, despite there being no official option or obligation to buy in his season-long loan to Sociedad.
Hammers News suggested last season Aguerd would be much better suited to La Liga or Serie A.
Good on the ball, Aguerd had looked a lot better in slower paced European games for West Ham.
The Moroccan has actually been excellent in Spain.
So good in fact Aguerd is statistically Sociedad’s second best player behind £80m rated Man City and Liverpool target Martin Zubimendi.
Cynics may suggest West Ham made a mistake letting him go.
But a cunning West Ham money-raising plan looks to have paid off big time as giants could now fund a striker move.
The whole purpose of West Ham loaning out Ward-Prowse, Aguerd and Cornet is to try and attract a potential buyer.
West Ham’s ultimate hope is that the players would do so well it sparks a bidding war.
Hence no option or obligation clauses being included in the deals.
That risky tactic now looks a very smart move indeed.
After the big summer spend it’s been made clear players will have to be sold to fund signings in January.
Giants could fund striker move after big claim from Spain
With no timeframe on Niclas Fullkrug’s return from a serious Achilles and calf injury – and Michail Antonio and Danny Ings both out of contract at the end of the season – signing a striker in the winter window is a must.
Whether that’s a loan deal with an option or obligation to buy to get around PSR restrictions or a straight purchase if players can be offloaded, the club are well aware it’s a necessity.
A shortlist of forwards is reportedly being drawn up by the Hammers ahead of January.
Now it seems Aguerd could make a dream move for all concerned – by joining Real Madrid.
Citing word from Spain, The Hard Tackle claims Aguerd is the subject of interest from Real Madrid.
The report states his impressive performances at Sociedad have caught the eye of Real Madrid as they scour the market for a centre-back after Eder Militao picked up a season-ending knee injury.
Perfect timing as Aguerd linked with Real Madrid move
“The Moroccan international has thus emerged as a target,” the report claims.
“However, Los Blancos will have to break the loan deal between Real Sociedad and West Ham United to land him…
“The Moroccan defender’s progress at Real Sociedad has not gone unnoticed, and another spell in La Liga might be on the cards for him.”
The report claims word in Spain is Real Madrid are now mulling trying to secure the West Ham man’s services in the January transfer window.
Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season.
So there would be no obstacles if Sociedad agreed to early termination of Aguerd’s deal – for which they would presumably have to be financially compensated by Madrid or West Ham.
It would be a fairytale story for Aguerd.
And it would come at the perfect time for the Hammers too with the pressure on to bring in a striker in January.
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