West Ham United were made to wait until August last summer before the transfer wheels could really begin to turn.
Hamstrung by that Declan Rice saga which dragged almost through the entirety of the summer, the supporters had already begun to feel a little frustrated around this period of the window with Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus both yet to arrive.
Flash forward 12 months and, without another Rice-style situation holding them back, West Ham United have been free to make a far earlier splash.
Luis Guilherme, the ‘extraordinary’ Palmeiras whizzkid, joins alongside Julen Lopetegui’s former Wolves captain Max Kilman for a combined £65 million. Wes Foderingham also arrives to provide some experience and support between the sticks.
West Ham appear pretty well positioned to complete signing number four too.
Guilherme and Kilman through the door at West Ham United
HITC understands that Lopegeui’s side are deep in discussions to bring in Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters.
And while the England international also has admirers at former employers Tottenham Hotspur, the Hammers have an ace up their sleeve in the form of Flynn Downes.
The midfielder shone on loan at Southampton last season, with manager Russell Martin making no secret of his desire to keep him around.
Offering Downes back to The Saints as part of the deal that would see Walker-Peters move in the other direction should suit all parties, particularly with only one year left on the full-back’s contract.
Francis Benali, the legendary former Southampton defender, would admittedly be sad to see Walker-Peters go. To quote Martin, he was ‘brilliant’ during a campaign which ended with the South Coast club triumphing over Leeds in the play-off final.
But he can understand why a sale would be considered, Southampton having already lost two key players for nothing and an identical situation involving Walker-Peters now just 12 months away.
According to talkSPORT, £10 million could be earned if the Spurs graduate leaves now.
“It would be a blow if Kyle Walker-Peters leaves the club this summer,” Benali tells the Daily Echo. “(But) from a business angle, I can see why Southampton would be willing to let him go. He is in the final 12 months of his contract.
“The club will want to avoid the same situation that we saw last season, with Che Adams and Stuart Armstrong, who have both left for free after playing an important role.”
Yukinari Sugawara swaps AZ for Southampton
Southampton, at least, do appear to have a successor all-but in the building.
Yukinari Sugawara, arguably the finest right-back in the Dutch Eredivisie and a superb crosser of the ball from deep positions, is heading to England to the tune of around £6 million, per Voetbal International.
“The biggest positive with regards to Walker-Peters’ potential exit is that the Saints have seemingly already secured his replacement in Yukinari Sugawara,” adds Benali, who played over 400 games for the club between the late-1980s and early-2000s.
“Having a replacement lined up before a player departs is the best position to be in. I speak for a lot of fans when I say that Walker-Peters will go with our best wishes should he leave in the summer.
“What he did in the Championship last season, when he could have returned to the Premier League, was fantastic.”
West Ham have also been linked with Manchester United’s London-born stopper Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Any new full-back will be expected to offset the loss of Ben Johnson, who moved to Ipswich Town at the start of this month.
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