West Ham have been successfully searching for exciting talent ever since Manuel Pellegrini and Mario Husillos joined the club last summer.
Last time around it was the likes of Issa Diop and Felipe Anderson who made the London Stadium move.
This time out, Pablo Fornals is the first to do so who fits in with that ethos, though he could be joined by other recruits of this ilk if the Hammers’ latest scouting mission is successful.
ExWHUEmployee has revealed where scouts have been sent:
We have a number of scouts watching the under 21s tournament this summer. French players being particularly looked as well as a couple of other nations. No signing is close at this point.
— ExWHUemployee (@ExWHUemployee) June 23, 2019
Fornals has impressed at the tournament, scoring two goals in one start and two substitute appearances, though there are a number of other players who have done the same.
Ex’s reference to France has some West Ham fans dreaming of Jonathan Ikone in claret and blue, while others are hoping for further Spanish link up play between Fornals and Dani Ceballos to take place in East London.
There is a plethora of young talent on show at the tournament, which makes it difficult to predict who the Hammers could be interested in – though that can also be part of the fun.
There is of course no guarantee that West Ham will sign anybody from the tournament, but it is certainly encouraging to see the club’s scouts scouring through some of the best young players in the continent.
A selection of Twitter reaction to the announcement can be seen below…
Dani Ceballos & Pablo Fornels could be our midfield for years, we need to be all over that!
— Ricky Forrest (@rickwhufc) June 23, 2019
Ianis Hagi???
— Victor (@VictorWHUFC) June 24, 2019
Imagine if we sign Chiesa
— Chris Parkhouse (@ChrisParkhouse1) June 23, 2019
Love having a handful of talented youngsters in the squad like Diop, Rice and hopefully Fornals.
— Bayou Ironworks (@BayouIronworks) June 23, 2019
I hope we are looking at Billing, I’ve wanted him at West Ham for a while now
— Dawkins (@Si_23Q) June 23, 2019
Ex what did you think of Puskas, the Romanian striker, in the England match?We need someone like hiwho never stops working. Haggi also looks a great prospect
— Duncan Foulkes (@DuncanFoulkesPR) June 23, 2019
Please say we’re looking at Jonathan Ikone
— (@CallumWHU__) June 23, 2019
This is the way to go West Ham
— Paolo (@ellingford_paul) June 23, 2019
Cutrone could be interesting with Milan looking to shift although didn’t have a great season in front of goal last year.
— Mike Hare (@mhare641) June 23, 2019
The fututre is an exciting one
— Don Raphael (@Reeko007) June 24, 2019
