Was Jesse Lingard decision the real reason why West Ham signed Nikola Vlasic?

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Jesse Lingard allegedly rejected a return to West Ham during the summer window and that is probably the reason why we ended up signing Nikola Vlasic.

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Hammers David Moyes brought the 26-Croatia international to the London Stadium on deadline day for around £25 million plus £6 million in add-ons (ExWHUemployee).

Vlasic is a top class player and we’re absolutely delighted that he is now a West Ham player.

It was clear that Moyes’s priority was to sign Lingard on a permanent deal from Manchester United, however.

The 28-year-old enjoyed a truly brilliant four month loan spell in East London last season.

According to 90 Min though, Lingard told West Ham that he didn’t want to return this season.

He clearly wants to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford.

Missing out on the England international will be blow for the Hammers but hopefully Vlasic hits the ground running and helps fill the void left behind by Jesse.

The question must be asked though…

Jesse Lingard decision the real reason why West Ham signed Nikola Vlasic?

Would the Hammers owners really splashed out on both Vlasic AND Lingard? We think not.

Would they even have paid a loan fee and wages for Vlasic had Lingard been signed permanently? The answer once again is probably no.

Hammers News View

Considering the fact that Vlasic is more than five years younger than Lingard, we think that signing him rather than the Man United ace was the right decision.

Regardless whether West Ham came to it by default or not!

The Croatian has a higher ceiling than Lingard does. He is more dynamic and more technically gifted than Jesse. Sure, it’s easy to say that now that we have signed him but genuinely, Vlasic is the best option out of the two.

Watch Vlasic’s first interview as a West Ham player:

So perhaps Lingard has done us a favour by rejecting a return to the club.

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Because if he hadn’t have done that, there is probably a good chance that Vlasic wouldn’t be at the London Stadium right now.