OPINION
West Ham are conducting very smart business by deciding to loan defender Sam Byram out this summer instead of selling him as his value could skyrocket after proving his fitness at another club.
Football.London report that Byram was on a list of candidates to be sold by the Hammers this summer however after failing to receive any bids it has caused them to change their stance when it comes to getting rid of him.
The website claim that the Hammers are now being forced to make a u-turn in their desire to get permanently rid of him in this window and instead the club are now open to sending him out on loan for the season so he doesn’t spend his 2018/19 campaign at the London Stadium.
Byram’s current £30,000-a-week Hammers contract (Source: Spotrac) doesn’t expire until 2020 and that means the club should be in no rush to sell the 24-year-old.
As it stands the right-back’s current potential value is a fraction of what it should be given his talent as he has only played 36 times for the Hammers since joining them from Leeds United in 2016.
Bryam has had constant injury problems that have kept him on the sidelines and which have stopped him from showing what a good player he can be, but if he was able to regular feature for a club once again, then there would be no issues.
With his injury record mooted and his ability regularly showcased at another club while on loan, the Hammers won’t just see offers flooding in but they will see respectable bids made for his services.
Especially as the defender previously showed enough talent in his 143 appearances for Leeds for a Premier League side like West Ham to buy him in the first place.
The Sun previously reported that Manuel Pellegrini’s team were planning on sending the right-back on loan to Nottingham Forest and a move like that if he is able to stay injury-free could end up making him hot property.
Therefore given the club’s u-turn about trying to loan him out this summer, the Hammers are conducting some very smart business as Byram could revive his career on loan and see his the Premier League side get a decent transfer fee for his services in the near future.
