By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
I’ll let Claret & Hugh readers decide whether it’s Groundhog Day or football déjà vu, but the transfer chase for West Ham winger Crysencio Summerville seems to be taking a very familiar turn.
Because according to Sky Sports earlier today, the movers and shakers inside Old Trafford are now becoming concerned that those pesky North Londoners from Tottenham are about to hijack their move for the Dutch winger.
Manchester United had been reported as being in continuing negotiations with the Hammers hierarchy over the sale of Summerville and appeared to be leading the race for his signature.
Spurs Threaten To Repeat Fernandes Trick
But according to Sky, Spurs have now jumped into the mix in precisely the same way they did to secure the signing of Mateus Fernandes.
Manchester United are said to be concerned that they could once again be gazumped for one of their top targets, which begs the question: why are they not just paying West Ham’s asking price and signing the player?
The Red Devils appeared to take an eternity to even consider making a £70 million bid for Portuguese midfielder Fernandes when they were fully aware all along that his price tag was £85 million.
Big-spending Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, wasted little time in paying what West Ham considered to be the going rate and snatching Fernandes before Sir Jim Ratcliffe had even made a serious bid for the player.
Pay Up Or Move On
Yet now we have reports from Sky, with Manchester United seemingly concerned and complaining that Tottenham might repeat the same trick.
There’s a simple answer, of course.
Phone up West Ham, agree to pay the fee and sign the player.
Anything else is like complaining about missing out on an auction when you haven’t even turned up and made a bid.
Anybody else fed up with Gonzo opening every post promoting himself as “senior West Ham columnist”
No need to be rude Graham. If you don’t like Gonzo go hang out elsewhere rather than try drum up unnecessary negativity.
It doesn’t show much ambition if our players leave us for a team that finished 2 points above us this year and below us last year
Never mind clauses £60m or move on.
Same with Mavro basic price £50m.
If Kretinsky (and fans) want to keep these players need to price them of the market.
Whu wanted a Coventry striker and Lampard put £250m as a selling price, that’s the way to do it.
All transfer fees have become absurd.
This just pushes big six further away from rest of league their dominance will never be challenged.
Not because of skills, which it should be, but buying collateral.
It’s the new West ham board that has created this. Everyone now. Knows they won’t be pushed around in the transfer market, so the set price is that or a bit more. Although it seems everyone except Man Utd. Don’t know how much plainer you can make it really, told them don’t need to sell so here’s our price pay up or move on.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs sign him, they have some players I would be interested in namely Bergvall and Gray that we should test them with.