West Ham United need to get Ben Johnson tied down to a new contract as a matter of urgency or risk losing him on a free transfer in the summer.
The 22-year-old has really impressed for the Hammers since bursting onto the scene at the London Stadium.
Johnson has reached an entirely new level this season, however, and has demonstrated his class when filling in for Vladimir Coufal.
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It could be argued that Johnson should be playing instead of Coufal all of the time now, even though the 29-year-old has fully recovered form injury.
The young Hammer is quicker and more technically proficient than his West Ham teammate. There is a very good chance that he will nail down the right-back spot at the London Stadium as his own next season.
As mad as it sounds though, there is still a chance that Johnson won’t even be at the club next season! And West Ham need to address that issue sooner rather than later.
West Ham could lose Johnson on a free transfer in the summer
The 22-year-old is out of contract in June of this year.
It is quite incredible to think that the club haven’t tied Johnson down to a new long-term deal yet.
The only thing we can think of is that perhaps the club have agreed terms with the 22-year-old behind closed doors and kept it quiet, much like we did with Michail Antonio’s new contract earlier this year.
Johnson is such a vital part of the Hammers’ future. He is an incredible young talent and will continue to get better and better with every game that he plays.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the youngster’s game is the maturity that he plays with, in spite of his tender years.
Former Premier League star Paul Robinson absolutely raved about Johnson recently, when speaking to Football Insider:
“But, Johnson’s performances have been of such merit that he deserves to be in the team. There is no doubt about that in my eyes. He has been absolutely brilliant since he has come in.”
Losing the 22-year-old on a free transfer at the end of the season doesn’t bear thinking about. Allowing his deal to run down and cutting it this close could be classed as negligent.
Let’s hope that the Hammers have already agreed terms with Johnson already, as mentioned earlier. And if we haven’t, doing so should be one of the biggest priorities for David Moyes and the West Ham owners at the moment.
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