Let the signings begin as Edu’s Arsenal move lights the fuse on the West Ham 20 with mammoth list of targets lined up.
West Ham’s drawn out sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal for a British record £105m has been one of the sagas of the summer transfer window.
Earlier this week Hammers News reported on the real reasons West Ham were furious with Arsenal for the delay in completing the Rice deal.
Chief among them was the fact it has stopped the Hammers making concrete bids for a host of targets lined up to replace the departing captain.
As reported on Tuesday, the Rice move to Arsenal was being held up by the north London club’s lawyers.
Let the signings begin as Edu’s Arsenal move lights the fuse on the West Ham 20 with mammoth list of targets lined up
With new technical director Tim Steidten on board, West Ham were hoping to get some deals over the line for players identified by the German before his arrival.
Steidten, nicknamed the Pearl Diver in Germany for his ability to unearth hidden gems, uses a data-driven approach.
And he started work on July 1st with a clear idea of players he feels would be good signings for West Ham.
Arsenal have put a spanner in the works thus far, leaving West Ham sat on their hands with no new signings and the 2023-24 season just one month away.
But let the signings begin as Edu Arsenal move lights the fuse on the West Ham 20 with a mammoth list of targets lined up.
The Gunners chief has made a pledge to West Ham that the Rice deal will be completed today (Friday).
The likes of Sky Sports are reporting Arsenal’s hierarchy have made a firm promise on that front.
And that means the Hammers will soon be in receipt of £33.3m from Arsenal. As a result majority stakeholder David Sullivan, manager David Moyes and Steidten can start to press home their pursuit of new arrivals.
That’s after it was revealed West Ham have enquiries in place for no less than TWENTY targets.
Two midfielders are being targeted to replace generational talent Rice while Moyes is also expected to target a new striker and centre-back as a bare minimum.
While Arsenal are in the midst of a £200m plus spending spree, West Ham have been consistently linked with a plethora of players.
So it is safe to assume many of those being linked are on Steidten’s list.
Ad it must be remembered that while £33m may not sound a huge amount, West Ham will only be putting small initial payments down for the £20-40m players they will be targeting – as is the norm in standard transfer deals.
So the first tranche of money from the Gunners will open the door to multiple potential signings for West Ham.
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