Club Brugge legend Gert Verheyen has warned Hans Vanaken that he could find himself in a relegation battle if he joins West Ham United before September’s transfer deadline, speaking to Extra Time.
Vanaken will celebrate his 30th birthday on Wednesday.
And while it’s a bit too soon for a mid-life crisis, a player who has spent the entirety of his professional career back home in Belgium is obviously starting to become very aware of his own mortality.
Vanakan, having turned down West Ham in 2020, knows that this maybe his ‘last chance’ to make a name for himself in one of Europe’s major leagues.
I think it could be my last chance,” the man himself said over the weekend, per the Daily Mail. “And I want to do it.”
Will West Ham United land Hans Vanaken at last?
West Ham failed with an £8 million bid last week. The London giants are not giving up that easily, however, and are now weighing up an improved offer for a man who’s hit double figures in each of the last 11 seasons, making him one of Europe’s most prolific attacking midfielders (Express).
“The situation is clear. He is eager to leave and I understand that; after all those titles, after the Champions League and after being on the bus to Charleroi ten times,” says Verheyen, who missed out on a move to England when a deal with Ipswich Town fell through 22 years ago.
“The problem for Hans is that the value a club is still willing to pay for someone of that age is less than the value he has for Club Brugge.
“Ipswich then wanted to pay 3 million euros (for me), which was a lot of money at the time. If West Ham really want Hans Vanaken, they will have to dig deeper into their pockets.”
Are West Ham really relegation candidates?
Ipswich would suffer relegation in 2002, just one year after qualifying for Europe. And Verheyen wonders if the same could happen to a West Ham side enduring their worst start to a league season since the early 1970s; three games, three defeats and not even a goal to show for their efforts.
“Was I disappointed (to miss out on Ipswich)? That disappointment lasted a week or two, but afterwards I didn’t regret it,” Verheyen adds.
“In the end, I would have only played one season in the Premier League, because Ipswich were relegated. That can also happen with West Ham, because they are last (in the table).”
According to 90Min, Club Brugge value five-time Jupiler League champion Vanaken at around £17 million.
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