West Ham are leading Tottenham in the race to sign West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone, according to a report.
ESPN claim that Hammers boss, David Moyes, who worked with Johnstone at Old Trafford, is prepared to offer the £18 million-rated England international regular football.
It is said that ‘uncertainty’ over Tottenham’s current number one, Hugo Lloris, and the identity of their next manager has pushed them behind the pecking order for his signature.
Whilst it’s most likely that West Brom will be heading back down to the Championship this season, their man between the sticks has been a standout performer, which has resulted in him getting an England call.
Both West Ham and Spurs have ageing keepers in between their sticks – Łukasz Fabiański and Lloris – with the 36-year-old Polish shot-stopper two years older than France’s World Cup winner.
Either way, both clubs need to look to the future and with no one really providing real competition from the bench, even Premier League winner, Joe Hart, it does seem as though a keeper is on the summer wishlist.
But with Johnstone more than likely heading to the Euros this summer, albeit as a back-up, he will want to push towards that number one spot as his career progresses.
And to do all that, he needs regular football in the Premier League, and in truth, he would get that both in East and North London.
But if West Ham can secure Champions League football then that might also be another tick in the box for the Manchester United academy product to head towards the London Stadium.
Either way, wherever Johnstone has been, he has impressed. The Englishman earned promotion with Preston very early on in his career.
Before having a standout loan spell at Villa where he helped them reach the Championship play-off final, before reaching the Premier League with West Brom two seasons later.
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