Say what you want about West Ham United’s recruitment team, the reaction from Leicester City supporters to Mads Hermansen’s imminent £18 million switch is quite the compliment for Kyle Macaulay and co.
In a tussle between two shot-stoppers which went right down to the wire, West Ham finally agreed a fee with the Foxes for their highly-rated Danish glovesman on Thursday evening.
In the end, it proved to be a case of either/or as West Ham United narrowed their goalkeeping targets down to two clear options; Mads Hermansen and John Victor.
Botafogo coach Davide Ancelotti bid farewell to his 29-year-old Brazilian some 24 hours earlier, with John Victor seemingly ready and waiting to fly to the UK.
Instead, as a rumoured £8.5 million deal collapsed at the eleventh hour, the door swung open for Hermansen to stroll into the London Stadium instead.
Despite talks with John seemingly reaching an advanced stage, Hammers News reported weeks ago that the Leicester ace was West Ham’s first-choice target. Graham Potter and his trusted head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay now appear to have got their man.
And on a day in which West Ham left the number one shirt vacant for the London-bound former Denmark Under-21 international, the finances of the deal were revealed.
Leicester City fans not happy as West Ham United agree Mads Hermansen fee
Reporter Ben Jacobs claimed on just last week talkSPORT that Leicester City had reduced their initial £35 million asking price considerably.
Yet, despite those well-publicised financial issues and that traumatic relegation in May, the Foxes were still expected to hold out for somewhere in the region of £20 – £25 million.
Suggestions that Hermansen will now be sold for £18 million, when he has three years left on his King Power Stadium contract, have therefore come as a very nasty surprise to a fanbase now fearing that Bilal El Khannouss and Abdul Fatawu will also be offloaded on the cheap.
“£18 million for Hermansen?,” one irate supporter writes on X, while demanding the departure of sporting director Jon Rudkin.
“I was praising Rudkin for getting £2 million and getting Coady’s wages off the system but accepting an £18 million bid for Mads Hermansen is beyond a joke,” another fumes.
“He’s a £25 million minimum goalkeeper! Leicester City, clueless once again! Next minute, it will be £15 million for Bilal and £10 million for Fatawu at this rate!”
West Ham may return to Leicester for Bilal El Khannouss as Zion Suzuki chase ends
Jacobs reports that West Ham are admirers of El Khannouss too.
On that December night when Mads Hermansen inspired Leicester’s 3-1 win over West Ham, mercurial Moroccan El Khannouss assisted Jamie Vardy’s third-minute opener before doubling the lead with a laser-guided finish on the slide.
The fee for Hermansen, meanwhile, is around half the price Parma appeared to be demanding for the exceedingly highly-rated Zion Suzuki. Hammers News can confirm that West Ham held discussions regarding Suzuki, intensifying their pursuit of Hermansen after they learned of the USA-born Japan international’s £30 million-plus price-tag.
“£18 million for Hermansen is superb business for West Ham,” another disappointed Leicester fan writes, the glory days of FA Cup and Premier League success feeling like lightyears away. “He’s worth double that on a good day.
“Yet more embarrassment from those running Leicester City. [I could] genuinely do a better a job myself.”
“£18 million for Hermansen is a bargain.”
“We really are the club that keeps giving,” another argues, having already seen Wilfred Ndidi join Besiktas for around £8 million this week. “This fee reeks of desperation. I’m certain we’ll ship out others at cut price before the window closes.”
“Incredibly disappointing fee from a Leicester City perspective, but that’s about where we are as a club. Letting top talent go on the cheap.”
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