West Ham Midfielder in Bolt From The Blue Kretinsky Transfer to Familiar Destination

West Ham fans would have been forgiven for thinking that Daniel Křetínský’s ownership of Sparta Prague might come with some obvious perks.

Top of the wishlist? Preferential access to some of Sparta’s better players—either on the cheap or via first refusal. But few would have predicted that Sparta could become the destination for West Ham’s unwanted players instead. Yet that’s precisely what appears to be happening.

Irn-Bru Iniesta on the Move

Czech media began reporting earlier this afternoon that Hammers midfielder Andy Irving is on the verge of a move to Sparta Prague. The reports were swiftly backed up by ExWHUEmployee, confirming the deal, which has come as something of a bolt from the blue.

Irving had previously been linked with Celtic and Wrexham at the start of the season. Aside from back-to-back appearances in a failed Nuno midfield experiment, he hasn’t really featured. As a result, “Swerving Irving”—or the “Irn-Bru Iniesta” as some fans have nicknamed him—now looks set for a switch to the land of Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček, hoping to revive a career that never quite took off in East London.