West Ham United right back Sam Byram will hold crunch talks with manager Manuel Pellegrini this summer, according to Football London.
The outlet claims that the 25-year-old will return from his loan spell with Nottingham Forest primed for a discussion on his future with Pellegrini.
However, Football London’s report states that the chances of the former Leeds United man breaking into Pellegrini’s plans are remote given the competition at his position.
Ryan Fredericks has emerged as the team’s undisputed first choice right back in recent weeks, while Pablo Zabaleta and Ben Johnson will also be in the hunt next season.
OPINION
To be fair to Byram, he has done well in recent weeks to bounce back from a long-term injury and make a big impression at Forest. Martin O’Neill has said that he likes the player and would potentially be interested in bringing him back to the City Ground, and that feels like what should be done. As mentioned, there’s just too much competition ahead of Byram at West Ham. Fredericks has really come on of late and is expected to be the number one right back next season, while Zabaleta signed a new one year contract extension recently. What really hurts Byram’s chances, though, is the emergence of Johnson through the academy as a potential future first team star. The youngster is likely the future at the position and once Zabaleta has moved on he will probably compete with Fredericks for a first team spot. That doesn’t leave much room for Byram to break in, does it? No, a Forest return would appear to be the best scenario for everyone involved here.
