Insider’s big £50m striker claim will please Arsenal and infuriate some West Ham fans for very different reasons indeed.
Both West Ham and Arsenal desperately need to sign a new striker or two this summer.
Alexandre Lacazette left Arsenal for a Lyon return and meaning the Gunners only have Eddie Nketiah while West Ham are reliant on Michail Antonio as their solitary senior striker.
Neither West Ham boss David Moyes or Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta can afford to go into a season with European football having only Antonio and Nketiah to pick from respectively.
Both the Hammers and the Gunners are actively trying to address the issue.
West Ham are said to be targeting Chelsea forward Armando Broja but there is no indication yet as to whether Thomas Tuchel will be willing to let him leave following Romelu Lukaku’s departure.
Arsenal meanwhile have all but confirmed the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Man City.
The Gunners are close to announcing the signing of the Brazilian star in a £45million deal. And Jesus has been spotted posing for pictures in an Arsenal shirt on the Emirates pitch (Daily Star).
That could well have been a West Ham shirt, though.
Because an insider’s big £50m striker claim will please Arsenal and infuriate some West Ham fans for very different reasons.
According to a high level West Ham insider speaking exclusively to the website Claret and Hugh, West Ham boss Moyes turned down the chance to sign Jesus for £50m two summers ago.
“We have now been told by a source at the club that he could have moved to the Hammers in the summer ahead of the 2020/21 season,” a West Ham insider told Claret and Hugh.
“Jesus was offered to the Irons by a representative but Moyes opted against making a bid for the player due to a fear of the rising cost of the deal.
“It would have cost the Irons around £50m in total to buy Jesus and pay his wages, but the club decided against it.”
The claims will clearly please Arsenal as things could have been very different and the north Londoners would not be about to welcome him into their team.
And the bold claim has also infuriated West Ham fans for different reasons.
Many are annoyed that Moyes elected not to sign Jesus given how the Hammers have sorely needed another quality forward for so long.
But others are just as miffed that Moyes is being outed for his decision not to sign Jesus by a club insider.
While Jesus is clearly a quality player. The jury is still very much out on whether he can be a success when playing week in, week out as the main number nine – something he is yet to do in the Premier League after his time with Man City.
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