OPINION
West Ham have done fantastic business in the transfer market in regards to their incomings so far and now it’s time to do what is best for the club when it comes to outgoings.
According to Claret & Hugh the Hammers are ready to sell defender Reece Oxford this summer if they receive an offer that is £10million or higher.
While it’s admirable that the London club are looking to take advantage of the inflated prices currently floating around the transfer market, it’s just important that they ditch the enforcer as soon as possible.
As Claret & Hugh’s report states Manuel Pellegrini has a whole host of options to choose from when it comes to picking centre-backs to play next season and because of this it’s very unlikely that Oxford will be able to make the squad on a regular basis if at all.
The 19-year-old may have originally shone at the Hammers when he first broke into the team but his progress has clearly stalled and he hasn’t become the player that he looked destined to become.
Oxford struggled in his two FA Cup outings against lower-ranked opposition at the start of the year under David Moyes and looked miles short of being the required standard to feature in the Premier League.
While the player is still young and could eventually get his career back on track, £10million is a lot of money to ask a club to pay for simply based on potential.
The teenager is thought to be wanted by Borussia Monchengladbach after his loan spell with them last season and if they’re only willing to pay half of his price tag, for example, then the Hammers should at the very least consider their offer.
If Oxford stays at the London Stadium then his value will continue to drop as he will no doubt end up featuring for the youth side in order to stay fit and regularly playing, which isn’t going to do his value any good.
A lot of the teenager’s price tag is based on his potential and his past performances from when he first broke through at the Hammers so it won’t be long before clubs need to see more before shelling out to get him.
This all means that the Hammers should look to ditch Oxford as soon as possible, even if for less than £10million, and if someone is willing to meet their price tag then it should simply be taken as a bonus for the club.
