West Ham United could be offering Club Brugge star Hans Vanaken ‘his last chance’ to play Premier League football, former Dutch international and football analyst Johan Boskamp tells Het Belang van Limburg.
You might be aware of the fact that Vanaken turned down a move to the London Stadium during the summer of 2020. So why, two years later, does he appear to have performed a full 180, reports suggesting that the two-time Belgian Footballer of the Year is keen to join the Hammers before September’s transfer deadline?
Well, it’s simple really. Vanaken will celebrate his 30th birthday next week.
And, as Boskamp points out, an opportunity like this may not come around again.
Will West Ham United finally sign Hans Vanaken from Club Brugge?
“Well, I understand that he still feels like a foreign adventure. It may well be his last chance,” says the former Feyenoord ace.
“And David Moyes absolutely loves him. He wanted to get him a few years ago. West Ham has always been a footballing team. So I see him still able to have two or three good years there; If Club Brugge want to let him go, of course.”
The situation facing Vanaken’s Brugge team-mate Ruud Vormer, Boskamp adds, should also act as a cautionary tale for a player who has spent his entire career in Belgium.
Vormer turned down the chance to play Premier League football earlier in his career. He’s 34 now, and looks set to leave Brugge via the backdoor.
“That will also play a role in the back of (Vanaken’s) mind. When you see something like that happening to one of your best team-mates, it makes you think,” Boskamp adds.
“Especially if you get an offer from the Premier League.”
Vanaken has scored over 100 goals in 339 games for Brugge, including 15 in 2021/22. The 6ft 4ins giant has even hit double figures in each of the last 11 seasons.
According to The Guardian, West Ham are set to make a new bid, having had an initial £8 million offer turned down.
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