FIVE transfer rumours West Ham should make happen this summer

With April just around the corner and only nine league games remaining this season, attention is quickly turning to how we strengthen in the summer.

Transfer windows might open and close, but transfer rumours themselves never, ever die – and that’s exactly what we’re enjoying right now.

We always seem to be linked with the world and his wife. Very rarely do any of them materialise any further than an ITK trying to earn himself a reputation on Twitter, but sometimes they become a reality.

Next year is our final one at the Boleyn Ground, which means there’s extra importance behind ensuring we do our business right and end what has been a wonderful era in Upton Park on a high.

We can only do that with a class players and a good manager. We’ve been linked with both over the last few weeks, so let’s have a look at the ones we really should be looking to make happen…

Click on the Boleyn Ground to reveal

Fabian Schar

If the reports are true, we’ve already agreed a £5m fee with FC Basel to bring the highly-rated Switzerland international to east London in the summer.

He’d certainly be a coup at that price, particularly when both Arsenal and Spurs have been hoping to sign him over the last 12 months or so.

You’d expect he’d be the ideal man to partner Winston Reid in defence, with James Tomkins and James Collins waiting in the wings should injury strike.

Schar has experience in both the Champions League and the Europa League, which means he’d have no problems adapting should we qualify for Europe over the next couple of years.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Why not?

We almost got him in January, with Carlton Cole seemingly on his way out to make way for the Spurs striker. That all fell through, but you’d expect the club to remain keen on doing similar business over the summer.

Carlton’s West Ham career is pretty much over, which means he’ll be on his way out come May/June. That means we’re going to need an effective and experienced striker to step in to support Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll up top.

Adebayor is certainly an upgrade from Cole and would be a decent addition if the price is right.

Carl Jenkinson

Jenko has been a solid member of our defence since arriving on loan from Arsenal last summer.

He’s made that right-back spot his own and, given his youth, still has plenty of room to improve. He won’t get that opportunity by sitting on the bench for the Gunners so the only logical thing to do is try and bring him to the club permanently.

With so much potential and a full season already under his belt for the club, signing Jenko this summer could prove to be the best business we do before the beginning of next season.

And if the reports are to be believed, the clubs are trying to do a deal.

Andriy Yarmolenko

The Ukrainian would cost £15m+, but he’s a player we’ve been linked with, alongside the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle.

Perhaps the long-shot of all these, but he’s certainly the type of player we should be eyeing if we want to improve and begin competing in Europe in the near future.

He’d be a perfect replacement for Matt Jarvis, and would slot perfectly in to an attacking line of Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Stewart Downing.

Has goals written all over it.

Jurgen Klopp

More of a suggestion than a rumour as such, yet still something the board would do no harm in looking further in to.

Klopp looks like he’s on his way out of Borussia Dortmund at the end of this season, while Sam Allardyce’s West Ham future all depends on whether the board can identify a suitable replacement or not.

Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail put it perfectly in saying that West Ham going for Klopp isn’t the most ridiculous thing in the world. We’re now the perfect project for a manager like Klopp. Ambitious, a world class and iconic new stadium and, potentially, major investment in the not too distant future.

The club is going places and, for that to happen, we’ll need a manager capable of guiding us on the biggest stages.

Step forward Klopp.