West Ham need to sell in order to buy this summer.
That’s according to various reports over the last couple of months, which claim the club cannot afford to push itself too close to the edge of PSR restrictions after splashing out over £150m last summer.
That has understandably led to widespread concern amongst the fanbase that next season could be another struggle, given the sheer amount of work that needs to be done to fix the issues of the 24/25 campaign.
The likes of Mohammed Kudus, Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri are expected to leave the club, while there are hints that Niclas Fullkrug, Edson Alvarez, Lucas Paqueta and even Tomas Soucek all have question marks over their London Stadium futures.
Meanwhile, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings and Lukasz Fabianski have all been released, and a decision is yet to be made on whether or not Michail Antonio’s contract will be extended beyond June 30th.
That leaves a number of holes in Graham Potter‘s squad which will need to be filled this summer – a striker, at least two central midfielders, a left-back and a centre-back will be high on the priority list.
But if the club needs to sell before it can buy, that doesn’t leave much in the way of flexibility when it comes to executing the business that’s needed before the new season starts in August.
Emerson told he can leave West Ham
Fabrizio Romano claimed last week that Emerson has been informed that he will be allowed to leave east London, with several clubs already making a move to sign the Italy international.
It is not yet known how much the club would be willing to accept by way of a transfer fee at this stage but the 30-year-old only has a little over a year left on his current contract, so it’s unlikely he would demand a huge price tag.
Lazio are reportedly the front runners to sign the former Roma left-back, who was West Ham’s best player in the 2023 Conference League final, with boss Maurizio Sarri supposedly keen on a reunion after the pair spent the 2018/2019 season together at Chelsea, a campaign in which they won the Europa League.
If Emerson does leave, it would mean Potter will only have Ollie Scarles available as a first-team left-back after Cresswell’s departure. Scarles enjoyed an impressive breakthrough campaign last season but with just 17 senior first-team appearances under his belt, Potter will want more experience in that position next season.
West Ham could move for Zinchenko
PianetaMilan claims West Ham are amongst a list of clubs keeping a close eye on Oleksandr Zinchenko‘s future at Arsenal.
The Ukraine international is entering the final year of his Emirates Stadium contract and, having only made 15 Premier League appearances under Mikel Arteta last season, could be allowed to leave the north London club.
The 28-year-old former Manchester City player has struggled with injuries throughout his career, especially with calf problems which have seen him miss 33 games for the Gunners since his £30m move from City in 2022.
At Man City, the left-back missed a total of 78 games over four seasons via variety of injuries, which included knee surgery in 2019.
That might be why Italian media claims AC Milan are currently balking at the potential asking price of €15m, especially given he has just 12 months left on his contract.
But there is a chance Graham Potter might see some use in having such an experienced and versatile left-back at the club, especially after losing two very experienced players in that position.
Zinchenko has won four Premier League titles, four League Cup titles, two Community Shields and an FA Cup to his name, all of which were won at Man City.
Moreover, he is more than capable of playing as a left-back, left wing-back and as a defensive midfielder, which would likely appeal to Potter who is used to having versatile full-backs at his disposal from his time at Chelsea and Brighton.
If the potential of signing Zinchenko does arise then it’s difficult to find many reasons why West Ham shouldn’t explore it, as it wouldn’t cost a great deal to bring him to east London and he will be able to provide cover for more than one position.
Given the number of positions West Ham need to strengthen this summer, that kind of versatility shouldn’t be sniffed at.
The only sticking point is his injury history. If he can prove he is over them then there is no doubt Zinchenko would prove to be a worthy Emerson replacement this summer.
