Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has confirmed that he would be interested in signing West Ham United midfielder Josh Cullen on a permanent deal next year.
The 22-year-old is currently on loan at the Valley and, with his Hammers contract set to expire next summer, Bowyer would like to bring him back permanently.
“Obviously if they were interested in selling him then we would be interested in taking him,” the ex-Hammer told South London Press. “He has definitely improved us. He is a very good player, for sure.
“I don’t really know but all I can say is the owner, in the past, has said the young ones are assets,” Bowyer replied when asked if the club would be able to afford Cullen. “The problem we would probably have would be his wages. That could be a problem – we’ve got a budget. But maybe the owner or the new people, if they come in, might find it doable.”
OPINION
This is an interesting one. Cullen is clearly a talented young player, and he’s obviously made quite the impression on Bowyer already, but are West Ham erring by not handing him a new and improved contract? He’s never quite been given the chance to impress for the first team despite some successful spells away from the club on loan, and now it seems that he’ll be able to leave the Hammers for nothing next summer. If that’s the case then Charlton, being a club he’s familiar with, would be a natural fit for the young man. He’s at an age where he needs regular first team football and he may not necessarily get that in East London. It’s always nice to bring through young prospects of your own, though, so it’s slightly disappointing that it appears Cullen will be allowed to leave the London Stadium when his current deal expires.
