It has been made clear this afternoon that Tim Steidten is balancing the need to get multiple players out of the door and reduce the salary levels, before committing to Carlos Soler – whilst keeping the Spaniard ‘happy to wait’ whilst the transfer window winds down. I’d love to be a fly on the wall. I should have offered to make a Netflix Documentary on ‘West Ham’s Transfer Dealings’ this summer! Must be a bit of a minefield, with Everton ‘lurking’ as reported last week – true or false- we will find out in the next 5 days.
Claret and Hugh’s Associate Editor Sean Whetstone had it confirmed today from a highly ranked club source that West Ham are indeed hoping to conclude the Carlos Soler saga but have to release players and their wages first before committing to an obligation with Soler. The details released on Twitter /X show a loan with an obligation to buy – the fee is in fact €25m (£21m) rather than the €20m previously reported.
I would point towards the news covered by Gonzo earlier, regarding Zouma’s medical before a new transfer can proceed. Both The Irons and Zouma’s agent will be desperate to get this one over the line. In addition, other interest in squad players is ongoing as we try to engineer Zouma ‘s exit along with one or more senior players:
This was always claimed by Claret and Hugh’s contact with our highly placed club source to be the pre-requisite for signing Soler.