West Ham are putting their grand plan to replace Crysencio Summerville with Abdul Fatawu at risk as their slow summer transfer window continues.
New majority stakeholder Daniel Kretinsky has made it clear West Ham do not need to sell players for financial reasons this summer.
However, the Hammers will sanction the sale of players in the event of extraordinary offers, those not in Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans or if they have clauses in their contracts dictating they can leave under certain conditions.
Slow-moving West Ham put Fatawu plan in doubt
Hammers News was the first to exclusively reveal that Crysencio Summerville is one of those players with such clauses in his deal.
After selling Mateus Fernandes for a whopping £85m, West Ham are resigned to offloading Summerville for his £50m release clause.
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West Ham’s grand plan, according to widespread reports from multiple sources, is to replace Summerville with Ghana and Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu.
The Hammers have been incessantly linked with the exciting winger likened to Mohammed Kudus, who is attracting interest following an impressive World Cup and Leicester’s relegation to League One.
Many West Ham fans have bemoaned the club’s slow moving summer transfer window with the new season now just three weeks away.
With the arrival of Nils Koppen, the Irons’ recruitment was expected to be expedited given the importance of instant promotion back to the Premier League.
As yet, though, the only business done by the club has been to activate Venezuelan winger Keiber Lamadrid’s £1m clause to make his loan move permanent.
The Hammers have already missed out on prime target Martin Adeline after his bargain move to Hamburg.
After Adeline, the Hammers cannot miss out on Fatawu too
As West Ham continue to drag their heels, now a deal for Fatawu is at risk too.
Besiktas and other European clubs have shown interest in Fatawu but now newly-promoted Ipswich Town are readying a formal bid.
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While West Ham sit in an apparent holding pattern, Telegraph journalist Mike McGrath claims Ipswich have made an official approach for Fatawu as they look to bolster their squad for the Premier League after replacing the Hammers in the top flight.
McGrath says talks are ongoing for the 22-year-old with a deal ‘to be negotiated’.
You can almost hear the universal sigh from West Ham fans as another target threatens to go begging.
The Hammers faithful will be collectively wondering ‘what are West Ham waiting for’.
The only reasonable explanation for West Ham’s slow-moving window is the understandable impact of the major restructure at the club.
That has seen David Sullivan, Karren Brady, Tara Warren and others depart with Kretinsky taking the helm, Karim Virani appointed as interim CEO and Koppen put in charge of transfers after being lured from Copenhagen.
Hammers fans will be hoping Ipswich making a formal move for Fatawu will provide a wake-up call to get their own bid in.
As by far the bigger club, West Ham should have no problems beating Ipswich to Fatawu if they can convince him they will only be outside the Premier League for a single season.
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