West Ham United will be given massive encouragement in their pursuit of Sheffield United midfielder John Lundstram after comments from Blades boss Chris Wilder.
Get over it Jack West Ham fans are sick of hearing you whine
The Sheffield Star claimed at the end of last month that Hammers boss David Moyes wants to prise the Blades ace away from Bramall Lane in January with his contract up next summer.
According to Sky Sports, talks to extend Lundstram’s contract at Sheffield United have broken down.
That means the former Everton and England Under 20 midfielder will be available on a free transfer next summer.
West Ham want Lundstram in January as contract runs down
And likely available at a knockdown price in the January window.
West Ham are short of options in central midfield. The Hammers are too reliant on the fitness of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek and only have the ageing Mark Noble and Robert Snodgrass beyond that.
West Ham boss David Moyes handed Lundstram his first professional contract when he was in charge at Everton.
Sky Sports report that the Blades will look to sell Lundstram in the forthcoming January window.
Reliable West Ham insider ExWHUemployee claims the club are interested in Lundstram.
Hammers insider confirms interest as Wilder offers encouragement
“He (Lundstram) is someone we’ve looked at before, box-to-box midfielder, he was at Everton with David Moyes,” ExWHUemployee said on The West Ham Way podcast on October 28th.
“Moyes knows about him, as does (Alan) Irvine and I think there will be a potential move for him in January. There’s a lot of ‘ifs and buts’ until then but it wouldn’t surprise me because I know he’s been on the radar.”
Well there was encouragement for West Ham when Lundstram’s boss Wilder spoke out about the situation this week.
The Blades manager has all but given up hope of persuading Lundstram to stay. And he has criticised the midfielder and his agent for not signing a new deal.
“I have got to respect John’s decision,” Wilder told Yorkshire Live.
‘I will move on, I’ll concentrate on players who want to commit and sign here’
“We’ve offered him a very, very attractive contract as far as I am concerned and as far as the football club is concerned. It is up there with the top players at the football club but he’s made a decision him and his agent that he doesn’t want to sign it.
“I respect that. He’s still a Sheffield United player and still available for selection.
“My attitude towards it is that I will move on I won’t think too much about it. I will concentrate on players who want to commit and sign here such as the likes of Fleck, Stevens and Norwood and the other player who have, those players who have been on the journey with us Egan, Basham and Sharp.
“We feel it is a very good offer and there’s always two sides to it and him and his agent feel that they want to maybe negotiate elsewhere. That’s where it is at. Cards on the table, I think John should have signed that but he and his agent believe he shouldn’t.”
Lundstram ticks all the boxes for the kind of player Moyes wants at West Ham.
Powerful, energetic and quick, Lundstram is a real modern day box-to-box midfielder. At 26, he is a good age and could be a genuine bargain.
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