Our man on the inside lifts the lid on the latest transfer speculation...
Following Friday’s capture of Dimitri Payet, speculation has continued to abound in the press as to who the Hammers will turn to next in the transfer market.
Sunday’s papers carried strong rumours of a move for Juventus’ highly-rated defender Angelo Ogbonna and I can reveal that he is a player that the Club greatly admires. However, my understanding is that any deal remains a distance off.
Another named raised today is that of Real Madrid full back Alvaro Arbeloa. The talk was that the Spain World Cup winner might be available on a free, but I believe that a new loan for Carl Jenkinson remains the number one target for the Hammers in this position.
My sources tell me that the Club hope to conclude another one or two signings within the next ten days, but with the start of the Barclays Premier League season six weeks away they will wait until they land the right targets.
That is unlikely to include Charlie Austin, as Queens Park Rangers’ valuation of the player remains too high.
There have also been rumours about that Stewart Downing could leave for one of the three clubs in the north east. While I believe that it is true there has been interest in the Hammers’ England winger, the Club’s attitude is that he is not for sale.
Meanwhile, I can exclusively reveal that a new addition to Slaven Bilic’s backroom staff will be made in the next 24 hours as the new boss moulds his team for the year ahead.
Finally, I’m told that the Club have already sold over 28,000 tickets for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League opener against FC Lusitans. The tie seems to have caught the imagination of the Hammers fans and it looks set to be a special night.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United