Has a once-in-a-generation opportunity slipped through West Ham United’s fingers?
Manchester United simply cannot be quite so directionless with a truly elite-level tactician in Erik ten Hag on the sidelines. Arsenal have some of the most exciting young talent in the Premier League on their books. And Tottenham Hotspur, on paper at least, appear to have aced the transfer window, adding quality and quantity to a squad that previously had more holes than the entire contents of a Swiss creamery.
So where does this leave West Ham? On the outside, looking in? Stuck behind a newly double-glazed glass ceiling? As their top six rivals reinforced their ranks – bringing in the likes of Ivan Perisic, Richarlison, Lisandro Martinez and Fabio Vieira – it was tempting to wonder if the Hammers were being left behind, a la Leicester City before them.
Yes, Nayef Aguerd and Flynn Downes could prove to be fine additions. But they alone are unlikely to transform West Ham from Champions League ‘nearly men’ into genuine top-four challengers in 2022/23.
But by the time Manchester City travel to the London Stadium on August 7th, West Ham’s starting XI could look, if not totally unrecognisable, then certainly a damn sight stronger. Big changes are afoot.
Can West Ham United secure four massive signings?
According to the Evening Standard, West Ham are ‘confident’ that both Amadou Onana and Jesse Lingard will be wearing claret-and-blue next season. A third bid, worth £30 million, was tabled for Onana over the weekend. One Lille are expected to accept. A breakthrough has also been reached in talks with Lingard; The free-agent who played the best football of his rather mercurial career during a short-lived but dazzling spell under Moyes last year.
Onana and Lingard could be joined in South London by not one but two of Europe’s most exciting, up-and-coming forwards. Armando Broja is flying back from Chelsea’s American tour in order to hold talks with West Ham (BBC Sport). He, like Onana, will cost around £30 million.
Gianluca Scamacca of Sassuolo would be even more expensive at £34 million. A fee may put off oil-rich Paris Saint-Germain, but not West Ham. Say whatever you like about Davids Gold and Sullivan, they are certainly not lacking ambition this summer.
“West Ham are offering 40 million euros for Scamacca,” Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali said last week. “And Paris Saint-Germain offering 35 million euros. There are also some bonuses that are different.”
West Ham 1, PSG 0
And, according to Sky Sports, there is a very real chance that both Scamacca and Broja will arrive. It is not a case of one or the other. And given their contrasting styles – the former is a physical, almost old-school number nine while the latter loves to run at defenders and drift out to the flanks – means Broja and Scamacca could complement each other perfectly. Less oil and water, more PB&J.
A frontline of Broja, Scamacca and Jarrod Bowen would strike fear into the hearts of even the Premier League’s most self-assured centre-halves.
“I do feel he’s the real deal. He is gonna be an outstanding talent, I can tell you that,” Arsenal legend Martin Keown said after Broja knocked West Ham out of the FA Cup with a typical slaloming run and finish during a terrific loan spell at Southampton.
“He is simply a class above all the strikers on this pitch, the potential he has. “That’s an outstanding goal. Pace, power and then the finesse at the end of it. He changes gear, slips inside and look at that, cultured finish. This is a player.”
Armando Broja and Gianluca Scamacca may be on their way
Onana, meanwhile, will provide some much-needed respite for the overworked Declan Rice or Tomas Soucek. A midfield partnership of he and Rice/Soucek would also give Lingard the freedom to work his magic further up the pitch.
“He was really good for us,” Moyes said of Lingard late last year. “Jesse knows what we all think of him here. My disappointment for Jesse would be, I think he’s such a talented football player and he’s not playing (at Manchester United)
“The (West Ham) players have moved on and stepped to another level themselves. But I’ve got to say, Jesse was a big part of that.”
A missed opportunity? A once-in-a-generation chance gone up in smoke? Not if West Ham can help it.
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