West Ham United appear to have done the easy bit in their attempt to sign Kyle Walker-Peters from the Premier League’s bottom club, Southampton.
Hammers News reported back in April that West Ham had agreed terms with Walker-Peters on a £75,000-a-week contract.
The hard part, however, is convincing the versatile full-back to make the switch to the London Stadium over a variety of other potential destinations. Kyle Walker-Peters may feel he has unfinished business at Tottenham Hotspur – the club where he started his career – while Chelsea’s interest potentially opens the door to Champions League football.
So while it has emerged that Fulham are not in the race for the Southampton wideman contrary to recent reports – Cottagers boss Marco Silva ruled out deals for both Walker-Peters and former Hammer Ben Johnson recently – West Ham United clearly have a long way to go yet before the London-born 28-year-old is posing for photos in a claret and blue shirt.
Kyle Walker-Peters absent at Southampton as West Ham United eye free transfer
Kyle Walker-Peters’ contract at St Mary’s expires at the start of July.
He has missed both of Southampton’s last two Premier League matches, with interim coach Simon Rusk putting that down to a bout of illness.
However, ahead of Sunday’s final day clash with Arsenal, Rusk indicated that Walker-Peters may be denied a Saints farewell; The relegated outfit looking to prioritise game time for those players keen to stick around and aid next term’s Championship charge.
“There’s the balance of getting the team, which is right to compete, but also taking into consideration what’s the right thing looking ahead,” Rusk tells the Daily Echo of Walker-Peters and the similarly exit-linked Jan Bednarek.
“They’re not black and white things. We’ve got the young players pushing on that need that exposure for the next bit of their development.”
West Ham may benefit from Walker-Peters’ Premier League nous
Wellington started against both Manchester City and Everton in Walker-Peters’ absence, with second-tier veteran James Bree lining up on the opposite side.
“There’s some things to think about. We need to get a team on the pitch that finishes this season with pride,” adds Rusk, who stepped up to take charge after Ivan Juric suffered the same fate as Russell Martin earlier in the campaign. “That’s what we spoke about.
“It’s about fighting for pride and professionalism so it’s a duty to us as a football club to make sure we’re ticking the right boxes.
“But of course, there’s complexity involved in these decisions when the team have been relegated. It’s probably all in the mix.”
Walker-Peters, a two-time England international, would bring a wealth of Premier League experience to a West Ham side set to lose Vladimir Coufal, Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell and Danny Ings, as well as potentially Michail Antonio and Tomas Soucek.
Soucek has held talks with Leeds United and Everton, football correspondent Graeme Bailey tells Hammers News.
“West Ham have made an offer to Walker-Peters, who is available on a free,” Bailey also confirmed in April. “But a load of clubs are keen including Spurs, Crystal Palace and even Chelsea are looking at him too.”
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