OPINION
West Ham fans will surely be split with their reaction to the latest claim about the club’s transfer activity this summer.
Speaking to Claret & Hugh, a senior club source said that there was little chance of any further deals being confirmed soon.
“Anything inbound or outbound is currently sadly unlikely, nothing happening anywhere. It’s very slow out there,” the source said.
This will surely get West Ham fans worried, because it looked as if the Hammers’ spree of summer activity would begin following the signing of Pablo Fornals from Villarreal last Friday.
The 23-year-old will be a fantastic addition to the Hammers squad. He scored five goals and assisted six others for the La Liga side last term, while he averaged 2.2 key passes per game in 12 Europa League games.
Fornal again showed West Ham fans what he is all about with a brilliantly taken goal in Spain Under-21’s 5-0 victory over Poland, and after that signing, supporters will definitely have been excited.
There has been lots of talk that West Ham are in the hunt to sign Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez [Daily Star], and he would again be a great signing. He netted 13 times and laid on five other goals in 35 La Liga appearances last season.
What’s more, he was fouled an average of 1.9 times per game in the Spanish top flight, meaning that he is a tricky player bound to cause problems if he moved to the London Stadium.
But if the above source is to be believed, it could be a while before we see Gomez – or anyone else for that matter – sign for the club.
However, the saving grace from the comments is the fact that departures from the club are also reportedly unlikely. This will delight West Ham fans.
Centre-back Issa Diop was imperious for the club last season, making an average of 2.1 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 4.7 clearances per game in 33 Premier League appearances.
Such performances mean the 22-year-old has attracted interest from Manchester United [Sky Sports], but if the source’s comments are true, then Diop will be going nowhere.
Overall, while the comments suggest that more new arrivals following Fornals could be a while off being confirmed yet, the source’s comments also portray that some of the Hammers’ best players are unlikely to leave.
