West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to react after Aston Villa confirmed the signing of Ross Barkley on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
According to The Telegraph, the Hammers were keen to take the England international away from Stamford Bridge and had Villa to compete with for his signature.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was also of interest according to the same report, although Premier League rules state that you cannot loan more than one player from another English top-flight outfit.
However, it is Dean Smith’s side who have won the race for the ex-Everton man, who has 202 Premier League appearances to his name.
Barkley wasn’t entirely out of Frank Lampard’s first team set-up at Chelsea. He has made three appearances already this season, scoring in the 6-0 Carabao Cup win over Barnsley.
He hasn’t really lived up to the hype since bursting onto the scene with Everton, but there’s no denying that the 26-year-old is still a good player.
Chelsea wouldn’t have paid £15 million for him if he wasn’t, nor would he have been placed on a £96,154 weekly salary, as Spotrac shows.
Perhaps that is why the West Ham fans have flocked to Twitter after hearing that their transfer target slipped away to a rival.
Additionally, the Irons are yet to sign a player this window, despite the deadline being less than a week away – October 5th is when business will cease.
Let’s see how the West Ham fans on Twitter reacted to this news…
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