West Ham United are expected to be extremely busy during the summer transfer window.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic will surely be looking to bolster his goalkeeping options in the summer, what with Adrian’s contract set to expire, and no new deal currently on the table for the Spaniard.
Whilst Darren Randolph has performed admirably since making the number one goalkeeper jersey his own earlier on this season, it is debatable as to whether he is quite good enough for West Ham, if they truly harbour ambitions of making genuine progress next term.
The East London outfit have been linked with an array of top-class stoppers over the past few months, including Manchester City-owned Joe Hart (Sky Sports).
They would have their work cut-out in signing the 29-year-old, however, with so many other clubs holding keen interest in the on-loan Torino man.
In light of this, Bilic should consider switching his attention to the BET365 Stadium, and make Stoke’s Jack Butland his primary transfer target this summer.
Standing at 6ft 5in, the 24-year-old is physically imposing, and has the ability to command his penalty box with a certain sense of assurance that defies his tender years.
Stoke’s Jack Butland
He is considered to be one of the Premier League’s best shot-stoppers, and has a wonderfully bright future in the game, if he can come back stronger following his injury nightmare that has kept him out of the game since March 26th, 2016, when he suffered a serious ankle injury whilst on duty with England.
And that will be the one major reservation that the Hammers faithful will have about any kind of potential move for Butland.
He will, of course, not be easy to prise away from the Potteries, so West Ham will need to make a rather substantial offer to test Mark Hughes into selling, and that will bring plenty of risk along with it.
If the East Londoners are to make genuine progress, however, it could very well be a risk they might just have to take.
Stoke City’s Jack Butland
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