West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has set out the criteria for the club’s summer transfer plans in his column for the Evening Standard.
The Hammers boss says the club will focus only on players that will definitely improve the starting eleven, as well as ensuring the squad has a greater amount of pace, which the Croatian feels has been lacking this season:
“The priority is not so much about improving the squad as signing the sort of players who would be expecting to play in our first team. Without giving anything away at this early stage, I will say we will want to bring in some players who have pace. But it is not all about pace: it is the balance which is all-important.”
Where Bilic mentions pace in his column, the Standard have linked to their own article about West Ham’s interest in Michy Batshuayi and Shane Long.
It is no surprise the Hammers are looking at Batshuayi after a long pursuit which stretches back to last summer, but the move for Long has raised quite a few eyebrows among Hammers fans.
The Southampton forward is by no means prolific and is not a first team starter for the Saints currently. He may do a job as an impact player from the bench but at 30 years of age, he is coming close to the back end of his career.
