West Ham have dropped a blatant Jesse Lingard hint on the club’s official website by making two things abundantly clear.
West Ham are clearly going to be signing free agent Jesse Lingard in the very near future.
There has been much speculation about whether West Ham will or won’t hand Lingard a short-term deal.
Talk has been rife that Wolves and Turkish clubs are rivalling the Hammers for the 30-year-old midfielder.
Turkish giants Besiktas are the latest to be linked with Lingard overnight, as reported by A Spor.
Given Lingard has now been training with West Ham for over three weeks, joining another club at this stage would be a real kick in the teeth.
Especially after David Moyes spoke in glowing terms when confirming Lingard continues to train with West Ham earlier this week. Notably the Scot was full of praise for the midfielder and his fitness levels.
West Ham drop blatant Jesse Lingard hint on club’s official website by making two things abundantly clear
With that as background, some West Ham fans are puzzled as to why Lingard has not signed a deal by now, even though he can still join despite the passing of the Premier League squad deadline on Wednesday.
Overnight a source close to the West Ham board revealed the lengths the club are going to in order to prime Lingard to sign for them.
Now West Ham have dropped a blatant Lingard hint on the club’s official website by making two things abundantly clear.
The Hammers have posted an article confirming their Premier League squad for the season following the passing of the deadline.
And West Ham have made it clear they have only submitted 24 players rather than 25 on the list.
The Hammers even then state the space means they can bring a player in on a free transfer and register him.
It’s the clearest indication yet that Lingard will soon join the club.
Hammers clearly planning to make JLingz their 25th man
“West Ham United have confirmed a 24-man Premier League squad for the first half of the 2023/24 season,” the statement reads.
“Each Premier League squad must contain up to 25 players, including no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the Home Grown Player (HGP) criteria. The rest of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be Home Grown.
“The Hammers have named 24 senior players, including eight HGPs who, irrespective of nationality or age, have been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)…
“Changes can be made to the Premier League squad list during the January transfer window, and clubs who have not filled all 25 places may sign and register free agents who are without a club at any time, subject to Premier League approval.”