Daniel Kretinsky’s ship-steadying rolling cry – that West Ham don’t need to sell players to sort out the clubs terrible financial situation – is about to come under severe pressure this summer with key players likely to be the subject of bids, now that the transfer window is open for business.
Most fans are resigned to Fernandes and Summerville being the high – profile departures with huge sums being thrown around for the pair in media reports.
Whether West Ham can keep their other ‘key players’ for a Championship challenge remains to be seen: Whether Kretinsky’s words were designed merely to bolster morale and improve the Hammers’ negotiating stance , or whether a true reflection of the club’s new found financial depth under the Czech billionaire remains to be seen.
Either way, the offers won’t be long in coming to test out the resolve of West Ham’s board. According to insidefutbol.com, Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen have their eye on a key figure from last season:
“West Ham United defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has emerged as a player of particular interest to Bayer Leverkusen’s new head coach, Carles Martinez Novell.
The Bundesliga outfit are primarily searching for defensive reinforcements and cover at left-back, but Martinez Novell’s appreciation of Mavropanos could pave the way for a return to Germany, where he previously impressed with Stuttgart.”
Mavropanos has admirers from within Germany’s top tier
Nuno Espirito Santo is already without last season’s standout defender, loanee Axel Disasi who has returned to Chelsea: To deprive him of HOTY Mavropanos’ services this summer would severely test the club’s resources ahead of the August resumption of league football.
With the possibility then looming of Maximilian Kilman being called upon to reprise his role as a first team regular, few West Ham fans will look forward to bids coming in for Mavropanos with anything other than huge apprehension.