CandH exclusive by Hughie Southon
West Ham have pulled out of a deal for Lille midfielder Amadou Onana.
The player has been on the club’s radar for several weeks but despite arranging a fee of around €40 million with the French club it has proved impossible for personal terms to be agreed.
We understand that the 20 year old’s representatives were looking for £100,000 plus for the 20 year old but given his appearance record in France the Hammers management felt that was an exorbitant figure.
There have been several reports today that Everton have been attempting to hijack the deal but it seems more likely that the player’s representatives may be attempting to set up a tug or war as they bid to create new Hammers interest.
The Irons though are not likely to be enticed into such a situation although David Moyes has been known to have changes of minds.
We were told exclusively today that the wages being demanded ” were all too much for a player that had only made 11 starts” and that other positions are more important right now.
It has been accepted that long term the midfielder could be a superstar, but that West Ham need players for now not the future.
It seems petulant to refuse wages on someone that could likely lead your team for years to come.
However, who knows how the current players feel about such wage offers when most are under 100k per wk…?
Think the club may regret this one.
Well done……i will laugh my socks off when his sister trys to explain errr well Everton are only offering £80thousand so errr West Ham have said no after i turned down the £100thousand they offered….what do you mean you Dont want to go to Everton Brother we cannot survive on the £35thousand you currently are on lol Greedy B***H get what you deserved…..Please do not go back in for him even if they beg she reminds me of Arnies brother touting him around after few decent games…Mercanaries lets keep Coventry and make him a part of the first team squad.
I told you this earlier in the morning.
Not an exclusive.
It’s been every since last night.
Good decision if the guy wants more than 60k which is actually ridiculous.
Maybe not all he’s cracked up to be but I actually did think he was good.
Everton how the heck ?
In which case go and start a website. My story is exclusive because only speculation elsewhere not fact. So talk football not journalism and I promise I won’t tell you to do your jopb whatever it may or may not be.
It’s one of those we tried we failed moments , we do not know the truth about his demands only the money men do . I think this guy can perform here and now and get better . Would be poor if we can’t match Everton’s offer . I think we should try and get him we won’t regret it IMO
Agree, understood EFC where skint, we should match them at least, WHU always take to long to get deals done, others come in with the ground work done and steal em.
This isn’t a surprise like every other transfer we have an open goal and somehow manage to trip up, why aren’t we tapping these players agents up in advance before bidding like most other clubs, god only knows…
Most reports are saying the opposite that the player pulled out and not West Ham either way it is another mess we have made of a transfer which means most of our pursuits are lengthy and ending in failure which is something that needs to be looked at.
If Everton sign him thats two relegation candidates that are being chosen over supposedly a club competing for Europe each season, not good enough !!!
The problem is that the Club go in for Players, they never intended to sign. The fans are kept quiet and it allows them to buy the cheap and not so cheerful alternatives they always intended to buy. I remember Kevin Keegan being up for grabs, so we decided to by a Keegan like Player. Southampton bought him and finished second in the league, if my memory serves me right. We finished no where. The Board makes pleasing noises but at the end of the day, are still the same cheap skates that West Ham Boards have always been. Why bother to run a Club if you cannot be called on to buy Players of quality and win things ? Why not just buy another type of business ? Tony what was that Consortium of yours called ?
I suspect that Onana’s agent is involved in this one. Doesn’t matter the club just get as much money as you can. But really a handfull of starts in a weaker league, only 20 years old, has just one cap for Belgium (how many English players have just 1 cap?) How much would you pay him?
My thoughts too. Imagine if we decide to pay him that much, maybe on a 5 or 6 year deal. Then, he just doesn’t get any better – or starts partying too much and just goes off the rails. Then you have a player on a high salary for how many years, while they contribute nothing. He might turn out to be amazing, we don’t know. But, this is the type of risk that a club like Man City or Chelsea can make, where they have a graveyard of failed players that don’t make it. We just don’t have the money to waste 100k on an unproven player. It’s important to note that Everton are thinking about him too: look at where their risk taken has gotten them–an overpaid, underperforming squad that barely stayed up.
Spot On…
It’s not monopoly money and you owe it to the rest of the squad to keep harmony between them. If we have done anything, it is to have identified his personality type before he arrived.
Why don’t we show some true ambition and go after Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester?
That would really set us on the map. If we were even considering paying £100k a week for Onana we should go all in and pay it to Ndidi. He is only 25 years old and a 100% proven Premier player. You can say his out of our league. But if Forrest can sign Lingard and Everton Onana why cant we punch above our weight for a change.
He is light years ahead of Onana. Onana is still mainly potential.
Now that would put a smile on the fans faces.
Don’t you ever have any good news to give us. I’ve been following your site for years and your always the first to blurt out anything and everything negative.
Give us some good news for once.
Our board are crap and always have been. Like pessimist said they go in for players they never intend on buying but that gives you lots to write about. This site is depressing. We all know what West Ham are and about. That will never change but people like you cant wait to be the bearer of bad news.
We report what we learn – go elsewhere if you wish. Surprised you have been here as long as that given your moan up. Oh and by the way we don;t do the negotiating. You are now history
Don’t think you can shoot the messenger!
Correct Eug. There’s always one!
What made me laugh is he or she went on a rant about negative news, as if you can control what’s going on. Then he or she went on a negative rant about the club.
Gotta love a good bit of irony. 😅
So. After all the talk of a major rebuild it looks as if we are going to start the season with a team almost the same as the one that ended last season. We are continually, allegedly, bidding for numerous players and either change our minds, are outbid or it was always unrealistic. So no change there. I await the last minute bids that just fail. Does this club have any ambition?
Who remembers the future superstar Gedson Fernandes?
He’s 20 years old, so why hasn’t PSG, Liverpool, Citeh, Chelski or Man U gone after him… and would he jump to the top of their wage structures?
I know that it has been a long and drawn-out pursuit, so much so that most of us started to get saliva around our chops from drooling (including me), but we may all need to re-focus now.
Fully support the management on this one.
One day some of these young players and their parasitic agents might realise you need to earn a big pay day first and foremost from your performance. This guy wants the top wages up front for being an unproven player in our league. He is currently injured so not even available for selection.
Agree totally. When West Ham are looking to invest this amount of money in someone who is both untried and unproven in the Premiership or a major league you need value for money but also need to establish that the player is the right fit for the club and that the pay level isn’t going to split the squad. When the news of the Everton “gazumping” broke last night this had all the hallmarks of an Agent’s handiwork. If Onana really wants to go to a team which is not in Europe, a potential relegation contender and to work under an over-rated, petulant manager then good luck to him and the Hammers can move on to someone who wants to play for them. We need new players badly, but not that badly.
Yes I support the management here – he may well be a good prospect at 20 but £100 k per week should not be his focus and far too much of a gamble. Don’t necessarily believe Everton are up for paying more, sounds more like agent speak. If we have him a 4 year deal on that money and he posed and partied it would be a millstone. Don’t risk it,blet him prove his worth.