Last night Newcastle United were relegated to the Championship following Sunderland’s emphatic 3-0 victory over Everton at the Stadium of Light.
Although Newcastle have been pretty dire all season, there has been a rare shining light for them in a campaign plagued by poor performances.
Former Tottenham winger Andros Townsend has been superb for the Magpies since he arrived in January. With four goals and two assists in just 12 league appearances, the winger has made a late charge for Roy Hodgson’s England squad ahead of the Euros this summer.
Why should the Hammers sign him?
Goals, pace, skill and youth.
Slaven Bilic has encouraged his midfielders to get forward as much as they can this season and it has paid off. Other than Michail Antonio, there is not another out-and-out winger in the side that is a real goalscoring threat and Andros Townsend offers this in abundance.
His direct style is difficult to defend against and at just 24-years-old, his best football is still to come. When he has been given the opportunity to play regular football, he rarely disappoints. He was Queens Park Rangers’ star man in 2013 and he is proving his Premier League quality once again at Newcastle United.
Is he worth it?
With a rumoured release clause of just £8 million, Townsend certainly represents excellent value for money, especially if he replaces the departing Victor Moses at West Ham.
It would be very difficult to find another homegrown player with the same attributes as Townsend for this sort of price and this is exactly why the Hammers should move for him. That way, Slaven Bilic can focus on investing more money in other areas of the squad rather than splashing out on a winger.
But he used to play for Spurs!
So what? Wouldn’t it be sweeter to sign a player who could come back to haunt them rather than ignoring a potentially good deal? If Townsend was to join the Hammers and immediately started playing well, fans would forget his Tottenham connection very quickly indeed.
