Opinion from the stands

West Ham would be right not to offer Aaron Cresswell a new contract, and here’s why…

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Football Soccer - Liverpool v West Ham United - FA Cup Fourth Round - Anfield - 30/1/16
Liverpool's Jerome Sinclair and West Ham's Aaron Cresswell
Reuters / Phil Noble
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There have been reports today in The Evening Standard that West Ham are in no hurry to tie Aaron Cresswell into a new contract.

Cresswell is a Liverpool fan, and in the past couple of weeks he has been linked with a £15 million move to his boyhood club, or even to Manchester City. For Liverpool and City, the move would make sense. A Premier League proven left back, who is equally good defensively and going forward. He is also English so would be part of the home grown quota. Liverpool, in particular, are short in the left back position as well.

So why shouldn’t West Ham renegotiate with Cresswell?

Cresswell had a great season in 2014/15, he was rewarded with a 5 year contract with the option of an extra 2 years at the end of that. That would take it to 2022, meaning that Cresswell would be 32. So just last year, after having a good season, he signed on for what would be more or less the remainder of his career. Since then West Ham have gone from strength to strength and are forming a side that will be capable of challenging for Champions League places and more next season, so footballing wise, there is no reason for him to leave.

The other aspect of this is that if Cresswell was offered a new deal, which wouldn’t run any longer than his current one, he would get a significant pay rise simply because a couple of teams are considering swooping for him. There is no concrete interest in the player yet, so there shouldn’t be any rush in getting Cresswell to commit.

It would go against how the club has been run in recent years. We aren’t the club that gives players contract extensions every year to fend off potential buyers.

Cresswell was rewarded last season with a new 5 year deal, with a two year extension, it is far too soon to be considering extending that contract. It could work negatively for the club, as all of the players may start wanting a significant pay rise as well, so it could cause disruption in the squad.

I hope that any potential interest from the Liverpool or City is fended off by the club, as Cresswell is a top player, but offering him a pay rise because of some transfer rumours seems a little bit out of character for the club, and not doing that would be a great show of intent from Slaven Bilic. We are in a position where we should be able to keep our best players, and Cresswell is no exception.

Above all, keeping Cresswell is crucial. Name a better left back we could get for £15 million?

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