Plot twist: David Moyes played Jesse Lingard during West Ham transfer saga, not the other way around – opinion

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Plot twist: It was actually David Moyes who played Jesse Lingard during the West Ham summer transfer saga, not the other way around.

Lingard opted to join Nottingham Forest instead of West Ham in the summer transfer window, and was handsomely rewarded for his decision with a £200k-a-week contract (The Guardian).

At the time, the West Ham fans could not believe that the 29-year-old rejected the chance to move back to the London Stadium.

Michail Antonio speculated that Lingard made the decision to join Nottingham Forest because he would be guaranteed regular football at the City Ground.

There are plenty of theories doing the rounds regarding Jesse’s move to Forest, many of them revolving around money.

But let’s play devil’s advocate for a minute. What if it was David Moyes who was making Jesse Lingard wait, rather than the other way around?

The Hammers ended up signing Lucas Paqueta instead of the 29-year-old free agent – arguably one of the best moves we’ve ever made as a club in the transfer market.

Maybe, just maybe, the Paqueta deal was in the pipeline for quite some time…

Plot twist: David Moyes played Jesse Lingard during West Ham transfer saga, not the other way around

The deal to sign Paqueta cost the Hammers around £51 million according to the likes of The Times.

Despite claims that West Ham saw a late opportunity and made the deal happen, there is just no way that transfers of that magnitude happen quickly.

I have a sneaky suspicion that Moyes had a deal for Paqueta in the pipeline for quite some time.

And as a result, the Scot didn’t want to commit on paying Lingard huge wages, until he knew whether he could actually bring the Brazilian to the London Stadium.

It certainly makes sense when you think about it.

The narrative at the time was that Jesse was making West Ham wait while he made a decision on his future.

I just cannot accept that Lingard would have chosen to join Forest over West Ham, especially considering the great times that he enjoyed in East London.

It’s worth remembering that the Hammers were apparently prepared to pay the 29-year-old around £150k-a-week as well.

I’m just delighted that West Ham didn’t sign Lingard in the end. There are huge question marks as to whether he would have been as good for the Hammers as he was during his loan spell last year, especially with not nearly as much to prove.

We got Paqueta instead and it’s clear to see that the Brazilian is on another level entirely to the Englishman.

West Ham have played an absolute blinder.

The idea that David Moyes played Jesse Lingard, rather than the other way around is certainly a thought-provoking one.

Read also:

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