Replacement for Cresswell ?
Well that was quick !
No sooner had Aaron Cresswell started packing his bags for his departure to Wolves than we discover that West Ham are trying to woo Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen – as we look to add youth to our rapidly ageing squad,
The young Maatsen spent last season on loan with runaway Championship winners Burnley, being a colossus in defence and scoring four goals and assisting a further six times .
Cresswell’s eight-year stay in East London will always be remembered with fondness having always tried to be a consistent performer across his nearly 350 appearances in Claret and Blue. But he has seemed to have been on the decline for a while now and this does feel like a rare, wise move by the Irons.
Any deal that sees Maatsen head to the London Stadium will represent the next phase of the reconstruction our Supremo is trying to attempt at the London Stadium, where due to the antiquity of our back line, the young Dutchman could bring well needed vigour into the Hammers’ defence.
Nevertheless, £20m does seem a lot for a player who has yet to establish or indeed play in the top-flight. But this seems to be the norm now when looking at young players from the Championship. Look at the asking price of our previous target Alex Scott.
This could be promising.