West Ham United have been heavily linked with a move for Brentford star Ollie Watkins this summer.
David Gold breaks silence, has he dropped a big hint over West Ham plans?
And David Moyes will be encouraged after the Championship outfit made a move for Watkins’s reported replacement.
West Ham have been tracking Watkins for some time (The Sun).
Ollie, Ollie, Ollie…
The forward hit 26 goals for Brentford last season as they missed out on promotion to the Premier League. He has been likened to former Hammer Jermain Defoe by West Ham legend Trevor Sinclair.
Reliable insider ExWHUemployee also told The West Ham Way podcast last month that Watkins is on a list of West Ham’s summer targets.
Another West Ham insider Claret & Hugh claimed this week that West Ham are still very much interested in Watkins.
Indeed their report claims West Ham have been told £2om will be enough to secure a deal for Watkins.
The Hammers have to sell to buy, though.
Hammers encouraged as Brentford bid for Watkins replacement
Now Moyes will be hugely encouraged to get the money together to get a deal done for Watkins.
That’s after Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre (21/08, 09:30) claimed Brentford have bid £7m for Lorient striker Pierre-Yves Hamel.
Football League World also reported on the bud and better still claimed Hamel is seen as a replacement for West Ham target Watkins.
Now it is down to whether the Hammers can raise those funds by selling the likes of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Jordan Hugill.
Just Wat West Ham – and Haller – need
Moyes has made clear his ambitions to sign the best talent from the Championship to build a new-look West Ham side around young, athletic talent hungry to prove themselves in the top flight (whufc.com and beIN Sports).
Watkins’s statistics back up the hype.
He scored 25 goals from 44 during the regular season last term.
And he boasted an average match rating of over 7.3 while picking up six man of the match awards and four assists (WhoScored.com).
There is a strong feeling among West Ham fans that Watkins could be the perfect foil for Sebastien Haller.
Mobile, quick, hard-working and a ruthless finisher, supporters believe he could be the man to get the best out of the £45million Frenchman.
Another one bites the dust for West Ham as Moyes market misery continues
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