Evan Ferguson was West Ham’s solitary signing of the transfer window but the move was threatened by rivals Arsenal, it has been claimed.
With less than a week to go in the winter window, the battle for Evan Ferguson was between West Ham and Arsenal according to top sources.
It was no secret that West Ham and Arsenal were both in the market for a striker.
Arsenal’s need was arguably greater than West Ham’s given Mikel Arteta’s side are fighting for the Premier League title and in the last 16 of the Champions League.
But with West Ham losing Niclas Fullrkug and Michail Antonio long-term, Graham Potter was equally desperate.
That saw a mutual interest from the Hammers and Gunners in Ferguson, valued at over £100m just last year.
Fans of both clubs had been piling the pressure on their owners to sign a striker before Monday night’s deadline.
A week out from the window shutting, a top Telegraph journalist claimed Ferguson would choose West Ham over Arsenal before the deadline.
That did not stop speculation of interest from Arteta, though.
Arsenal tried late hijack to wreck West Ham’s Ferguson transfer
Chelsea and as many as 20 others were also said to have registered an interest in Ferguson in the final week of the window too.
When it was reported the Irishman, who is close with former Arsenal and West Ham hero Liam Brady, was on his way to east London for a medical on Sunday there was a nervousness around the deal.
That was according to top Hammers insider Sean Whetstone, who stated that there was still a chance a rival could swoop and lure Ferguson elsewhere.
Now it’s easy to see why the Irons were uneasy.
Because Arsenal tried a late hijack to wreck the West Ham transfer, claims a journalist close to majority owner David Sullivan.
Going into their game against Man City, journalists, pundits and fans were insisting Arsenal had to sign a striker if they had any chance of making up ground on Premier League leaders Liverpool or lifting any silverware.
The Gunners then demolished the reigning champions 5-1 at the Emirates to suggest otherwise.
As debate still raged over whether Arsenal needed a forward signing, West Ham were putting Ferguson through his paces for a medical.
Gunners pondered buying Ferguson as late as Sunday
And Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg has revealed the Gunners did actually try to derail the move.
Steinberg counts Sullivan among his close contacts at the London Stadium.
And he reckons the nervousness around West Ham’s move for Ferguson emanated from Arsenal’s continued interest right up to the day the 20-year-old signed his loan deal with the Hammers.
West Ham knew the only way Arsenal could sign Ferguson was to buy him outright.
Because the Gunners could not add another Premier League loan as they already had their quota of two in Raheem Sterling and Neto.
Brighton made it clear to the Hammers they wanted to sell Ferguson outright with a fee of around £40m mooted.
West Ham wanted an option to buy rather than obligation. In the end a compromise was reached for a straight loan – which has not gone down well with many Hammers fans.
Dry loan leaves West Ham exposed to summer bid from Arsenal
That was a huge risk given Arsenal’s now confirmed late interest.
Had Arteta and the Gunners hierarchy decided to make a permanent offer for Ferguson, West Ham could have ended the window empty-handed.
There have been concerns about Ferguson’s injury record after a year of struggles with an ankle which required an operation.
That – along with their convincing demolition of Man City – may have persuaded Arsenal not to buy Ferguson and keep their powder dry for the summer.
His injuries were one of the reasons West Ham insisted on a loan with option.
Though the compromise was reached for a ‘dry loan’, it now leaves West Ham exposed to other clubs – such as Arsenal – signing Ferguson in the summer if he does well and proves his fitness over the next five months.
So West Ham fans could fall in love with their new striker only to end up simply getting him fit and ready for a summer move to Arsenal instead.
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