It actually doesn’t seem like thirteen years since Carlton Cole settled Hammers’ fans nerves and then Ricky Vaz Te won it for West Ham against Blackpool. Luckily for the Hammers, Championship play-off dramas have been avoided by the club managing – just this season – to retain their Premier League status. But for drama, elation and hertache is there a better fixture in the calendar? That depends if your team wins!
West Ham fans can be relaxed neutrals as the semi finals kick off but I’m sure there will be anxious glances at the score from West Ham’s recruitment team, who have been casting covetous eyes at no less than three players involved in Sunderland’s promotion push.
Succeed, and get promoted, and West Ham’s chances to recruit will diminsh. But should Sunderland fall at either the semi-final or final hurdle, the Hammers are likely to come calling for the heart of the team:As Claret and Hugh’s article last week, the entire Sunderland midfield of Jobe Bellingham (younger brother of Jude) Chris Rigg and Dan Neil are on the Hammers’ radar.
Still a Hammers target – Chris Rigg
So West Ham’s recruitment team will be cheering on Coventry City for the first leg on Friday and the second leg – at Sunderland – on Tuesday night. From reports emerging this week, West Ham are spreading the net far and wide to attract young talent to overhaul their woeful midfield. Finally the penny has dropped that the clearcut needs to be brutal, unsentimental and swift.
And the good news is that the ‘Sunderland three’ are young, fit, fast and could all be bought for ‘Ward-Prowse’ money- £30m should do for the trio. Not a bad sounding deal!
Our youngsters seem to get continually overlooked apart from Scarles, no wonder they get a bit pissed off, I thought Potter was the man who was going to bring them on, I think you are right, maybe good contenders for the drop next season.
Not overlooked – just well known. No headlines in talking about our youngsters. If that is all we had to look forward to, it would only lead to disappointment eventually.
COYI
So C&H don’t like relegated Premier League players, but they do like Championship players? Am I reading this right?
Hope to see Potts Earthy and Marshall in our line up next year.
And Kodua
Martin ,I admire your optimism on the regarding the price of these three lads. I think it would cost double that at least for them. However, if you could buy all three for 30 million maybe we are missing a trick and should install you as our new Director of Football. You could have found your true calling.
Agreed, there’s no way Bellingham is going to be allowed to leave for under £30mil. alone.
Not that he’s looked like his brother this season, but he’s got that gene-pool that someone will take a £30mil. punt on.
As for Dan Neil & Chris Rigg, maybe you’d get them for £30mil. with add-ons.
But recruiting all 3, where does that leave the West Ham youngsters?