ONE OF the problems with expressing interest in a ‘target’ in the summer and then returning six months later during January is that the price inevitably rises. The winter transfer window offers a notoriously challenging environment for clubs seeking value as it can take big bucks to prise a player out of his side mid-season.
Such would certainly be the case with rumoured former target Lucas Stassin, if sportswitness.co.uk‘s report today is correct. He’s gone from being a £14 million summer target to mega euros now:
“West Ham want to sign the 20-year-old in January. They [French news source] also said the Ligue 2 side want in excess of €30m to consider a sale.”
Which means his asking price has just about doubled in half a year.
Probably the time to pounce has passed by. But the striker, languishing in the second tier of French football, has batted his eyelids to likely suitors in the winter window:
“At the moment, I’m just a Saint-Étienne player,” he said. Do I have to leave? No, definitely not. But it will depend on what happens in the coming weeks…“I love the big five leagues. If I ever get the chance to explore a new league, I’m open to it.”
And, just to make sure the point was made, Stassin rammed it home:
“The most important thing is to play at the highest level again as soon as possible. That’s what every footballer wants.”
Which is a pretty big hint.
Compared with the £21.6 million that Sunderland paid for another former Hammers’ striker target Brian Brobbey, the £26 million for Stassin doesn’t look quite so bad: Brobbey started repaying that fee with a first goal for his Black Cats’ side to equalise late on against Arsenal last weekend. Good man.
nowhere near premier league standard , has a long way to go.