For West Ham United, not yet removed from the Premier League but teetering on the brink, shades of the 2003 exodus already spring to mind before the season is even completed as rumours persist that several first team players are planning to ‘push’ for summer transfers – despite the season not yet being finished and the formality of relegation not being confirmed.
Apart from Jarrod Bowen’s contrite, composed appearance on sky sports this afternoon, theres’ been little in the way of ‘news’ out of West Ham, following their kamikaze-like performance against Newcastle which has, in a season littered with a host of other poor performances – condemned the club – if not the players – to a season or more in the second tier of English football.
However: The rumour mills have been running for weeks: It seems that several are already being reported as ‘looking to leave‘ West Ham in the summer.
TalkSPORT’s article this afternoon confirms that “Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jean-Clair Todibo will also push for moves.”
Reported as ‘pushing’ for Summer moves: Wan Bissaka and Todibo
This in addition, of course, to the top quality talent – Bowen, Fernandes, Summerville and Diouf– likely to get picked off in the summer window.
But in all reality, with huge wages and long contracts, Wan Bissaka and especially ‘bad boy’ Jean Clair Todibo might yet struggle to find top clubs willing to meet their wage demands.
Todibo in particular has struggled to build on his early career success as a teenager at Barcelona: His talent has seen him rise through Toulouse’s academy to Barca, but after unsuccessful loan spells at both Schalke and Benfica and a move to Nice, the defender has failed to eradicate the ‘trouble maker‘ reputation he gained under Lopetegui and Nuno which included, of course, his red card and suspension for fighting.
Knowing the Premier League’s propensity to reward failure with promotion, the duo may still find mid table English sides willing to take a gamble – but neither will likely receive the sort of paydays they’ve grown accustomed to in the last couple of years.