Leeds United have given West Ham serious hope of landing a top Championship star Tim Steidten has wanted since January.
There isn’t much affection between West Ham and Leeds, two significant clubs with a history of intense clashes both on and off the field over the years.
Leeds and West Ham supporters often engage in arguments about which club holds greater stature, as well as debating the superiority between Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips, a discussion that seems to have conclusively favored Rice.
Phillips, a cherished figure among Leeds fans, hasn’t performed well at West Ham, leading some Leeds supporters to mockingly nickname him ‘agent Phillips’.
In a recent vote for West Ham’s player of the season, thousands of Leeds fans participated to ensure Phillips emerged victorious.
However, Leeds might unintentionally be assisting West Ham in their forthcoming squad reconstruction.
While David Moyes has achieved remarkable success at West Ham, his failure to plan for the future has left a significant rebuilding task for his successor Julen Lopetegui and technical director Tim Steidten, who may need to recruit eight to ten new players in the upcoming transfer window.
According to reports by journalist Kaveh Solhekol, Moyes rejected several deals proposed by Steidten in January and instead opted to acquire Phillips, a decision that apparently contributed to Moyes’ departure.
With Moyes set to leave after the weekend’s season finale, reports suggest that Steidten is revisiting interest in some January targets, with Leeds inadvertently facilitating West Ham’s pursuit of a key player Steidten desires.
It’s widely rumored that Lopetegui and Steidten are working covertly on signings in anticipation of the new season.
of the busy summer.
Leeds give West Ham hope of landing Steidten target Rowe
West Ham is facing a significant rebuilding phase this summer, with three main objectives:
1. To reinforce both the starting lineup and the squad by making at least eight to ten high-quality signings, especially since manager Lopetegui will be left with only 16 senior players after six departures at the end of their contracts.
2. To substantially reduce the age of the squad, which currently ranks as the second oldest in the Premier League, by recruiting young, ambitious talent alongside a few experienced players.
3. To target players who meet the Premier League’s homegrown status criteria.
One player who fits these criteria and is a priority on West Ham’s transfer agenda is Norwich’s Jonathan Rowe.
Here’s where Leeds enters the picture, adding a touch of irony considering that Rowe could potentially replace Phillips in the West Ham squad. The Evening Standard reported that West Ham had been monitoring the promising 21-year-old English youth international midfielder Rowe as a potential signing in January.
With the departure of Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals, Steidten aimed to bring in a new attacking midfielder. Rowe, who was named Norwich’s young player of the year after an impressive season, scored 13 goals and provided three assists in 28 starts, despite missing a significant portion of games due to injury. He made a comeback for the crucial play-off semi-final against Leeds.
West Ham fans were eagerly watching these games, knowing that Norwich’s promotion to the Premier League would likely end their chances of securing the talented England Under-21 star Rowe. However, Leeds ensured that this scenario didn’t materialize by defeating Norwich 4-0, securing a place in the play-off final and relegating the Canaries to another season in the Championship.
Steidten’s exciting transfer philosophy becomes clear
Rowe, who hails from London, recently expressed to The Guardian that he believes he has unfinished business in the Premier League. This sentiment will surely encourage West Ham and Steidten, especially with Norwich likely having to consider selling their star player this summer since he is entering the final year of his contract.
West Ham has been linked with several players who share Rowe’s profile, age, and contractual situation, and also fulfill the homegrown status requirement.
Over the weekend, reports surfaced indicating that Lopetegui and Steidten are orchestrating an exciting move for Marcus Edwards, the top English talent from Sporting, who was also born in London. Additionally, Angel Gomes, another London-born player currently playing for Lille, has emerged as a target for Steidten.
Edwards, at 25, is eager to prove himself in the Premier League, while Gomes, aged 23, embodies the same youthful, ambitious, and talented profile that Steidten seems to be pursuing. Like Rowe, both Gomes and Edwards are entering the final year of their contracts, with Sporting signaling their willingness to sell Edwards to generate funds for reinforcements under Ruben Amorim.
This sets the stage for a fascinating summer transfer window and potentially marks the beginning of a new era for West Ham, characterized by a squad built around promising young talent, complemented by the occasional seasoned player.
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