West Ham’s transfer business remains under scrutiny after multiple summer signings.
Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has admitted that he would like to sign West Ham United midfielder Josh Cullen on a permanent basis, as he continues to impress on loan.
Cullen, 22, has joined Bowyer’s promotion-chasing side in League One and has already made six appearances for the Addicks in the league, showing his Premier League quality and adding two assists.
“Obviously if they were interested in selling him then we would be interested in taking him,” former West Ham midfielder Bowyer told London News Online. He has definitely improved us. He is a very good player, for sure.”
The prospect of Charlton signing the Ireland Under-21 captain on a permanent basis is certainly a possible one, with Cullen’s contract expiring at the end of the season.
It means he will be available on a free, though Charlton would have to pay West Ham a compensation fee or indeed agree a transfer fee in order for the permanent transfer of Cullen to go through next summer.
But West Ham would be foolish to get rid of one of their brightest prospects for years in Cullen, who has hardly been given a proper run in the Hammers first team to showcase his worth.
Instead of keeping Cullen and giving him a run out this season, West Ham decided to sign veteran Carlos Sanchez who flopped during his time at Aston Villa.
Cullen’s impressive form at Charlton is likely to spark nationwide interest in the hard-working star, but West Ham have got to keep him on the books and offer him a new deal beyond the end of the summer.
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