Newcastle United could lose Javier Manquillo with West Ham reportedly eyeing a Premier League right-back whose contract expires in July.
David Moyes wants to work with Javier Manquillo again, according to the Northern Echo, with West Ham keen to reunite the Scot with the Newcastle United defender.
It speaks volumes about the way Manquillo has performed in black and white recently that a player who was far from a fans’ favourite at St James’ Park this time last year now has supporters fretting about his departure.
The journeyman Spaniard is out of contract at the end of the season and, knowing that Newcastle owner Mike Ashley always has a profit in his sights, The Echo reports that West Ham have put plans in place for a £5 million bid.
And the presence of Moyes in the London Stadium dugout will only boost The Hammers’ hopes of luring a one-time Liverpool and Atletico Madrid right-back down south.
The experienced tactician was pleased to land Manquillo on loan during his ill-fated spell at Sunderland in 2016/17, telling the club’s official website that he was “looking forward to working with Javier. He has qualities and he was an under-21 player with Spain.”
Three-and-a-half years on, the Echo reports that Moyes will back West Ham’s attempts to sign a player who first emerged on their radar during Manuel Pellegrini’s final few weeks in the job.
Right-back has been something of a problem position for the Hammers of late and, with Ryan Fredericks set to miss at least a month through injury, a new addition looks even more necessary.
As it stands, 34-year-old Pablo Zabaleta is the only senior right-back at Moyes’ disposal -and the once brilliant Argentine has looked a shadow of his former self ever since moving to the capital. Manquillo would bring the kind of energy that Zabaleta can no longer provide and he is a far more reliable, one-on-one defender than the exciting yet erratic Fredericks.
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