April 30, 2024
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Frank McAvennie urges West Ham to avoid permanent move for Kalvin Phillips

By
Henry Jackson
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West Ham shouldn’t entertain the idea of signing Kalvin Phillps on a permanent basis this summer, according to former Hammers striker Frank McAvennie.

Phillips completed a loan move to the London Stadium during the January transfer window, having fallen completely out of favour at Manchester City.

While it felt like an exciting piece of business by West Ham at the time, the 28-year-old has made a worryingly underwhelming start to life at the club, making errors for goals and generally not having a positive influence.

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that the Hammers should choose not to make Phillips’ temporary switch a permanent one at the end of the season:

“I’d send Phillips back – he’s done nothing. He hasn’t done anything good at all and he’s been terrible. I know in his first game [against Bournemouth] Kurt Zouma gave him a terrible pass that led to their goal, but he’s had an absolute shocker since then.

“To be fair to him, he’d not played [while at City] – but he’s making excuses. “I don’t know if he’s as good as people are making him out to be. “He was great when he was playing for Leeds. “But when he’d played for England, he’s played against rubbish teams. “Is he good enough to play in the Premier League?

“He hasn’t proven anything to me even though I thought he was the kind of player that West Ham needed. The harder he tries, the worse it’s getting for him.”

Phillips has been a big disappointment for West Ham so far, but in fairness to him, he could be a player low on confidence and he still has three months to prove his worth.

It is better to judge the impact the England international has made once the campaign comes to an end – he will be desperate to shine ahead of Euro 2024 – and writing him off this soon feels harsh.

Granted, much more is needed from Phillips, and on current evidence he doesn’t merit a permanent move, but he could find his feet as the weeks pass.

Significant update emerges over Mohammed Kudus’ West Ham future

By
Henry Jackson
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West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus is reportedly happy at the club and won’t look for a move away this summer.

The 23-year-old sealed a switch to the London Stadium from Ajax last year, in what immediately looked like an exciting piece of business by the Hammers.

Kudus has backed up the hype with a strong first season in a West Ham shirt, scoring six times in the Premier League, as well as netting on three occasions in the Europa League.

The Ghanaian has shone in attack alongside Jarrod Bowen, in particular, with the pair causing many teams big problems with their direct style and goal threat.

West Ham fans will be desperate to see Kudus remain in east London for as long as possible, and according to Football Insider, he has no intention of leaving after just one year at the club:

“Mohammed Kudus is not thinking about moving on from West Ham this summer, sources have told Football Insider. The Irons beat strong competition to sign the 23-year-old from Ajax last year (2023) and he has impressed in his first season in England.

“Brighton, Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal were among the sides linked with the Ghana international before his London Stadium switch. A well-placed source has told Football Insider that clubs across England and Europe are continuing to monitor his situation.”

This will come as a big relief to West Ham supporters, considering Kudus has already become one of the most influential players at the club.

The Ghana star impressed so much at the 2022 World Cup with his country, scoring twice in three appearances, but he has shown that he is far more than a player who shines at a major tournament but doesn’t kick on.

Given his age, there is no reason why Kudus shouldn’t get better and better in the coming years, although there will always be the threat of interest emerging from other clubs.

West Ham need to try and once again qualify for Europe, giving him a major incentive to stay put, and if they don’t keep building, it is easy to see his head eventually being turned.

Journalist hints at Tim Steidten leaving West Ham for Liverpool

By
Henry Jackson
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West Ham technical director Tim Steidten could find it too difficult to turn down a job at Liverpool, according to an update from journalist Dean Jones.

The 44-year-old has been an influential figure at the London Stadium since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, working alongside David Moyes effectively.

Worryingly, Steidten has been linked with a move to Liverpool, however, following the departure of sporting director Jorg Schmadtke at the end of last month.

He is seen as someone who could work seamlessly with Xabi Alonso after their spell together at Leverkusen, assuming the Spaniard is the Reds’ choice to replace Jurgen Klopp as manager in the summer.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones admitted that he could see Steidten departing for Liverpool, seeing it as too good an opportunity to say no to:

“Perhaps Moyes staying adds credence to why Steidten might be more likely to leave West Ham and go to Liverpool right now. But I think we also have to weigh in that Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs you could ever be involved in, and it is extremely difficult to say no to them if they do come knocking.

“I don’t know enough about Steidten and Alonso’s relationship. But from afar, you would see they’ve both worked at Leverkusen, understand a similar philosophy, and have been working from the same book. So, there are reasons to believe they can work together and might even be very open to it.”

Losing Steidten would be a clear blow for West Ham, considering the job he has done in his short time in east London to date, but it is easy to envisage him moving on.

The fact that he has worked with Alonso in the past could make the appeal of moving to Liverpool even greater, and he would be joining one of the biggest clubs in world football.

The fact that the update hints at Steidten and Moyes’ relationship no longer being too strong could also suggest that a move away is likely, so it could be best for all parties to ultimately make the deal go through, assuming the Hammers boss stays put for the foreseeable future.

West Ham could be able to sign Kalvin Phillips in £40m deal this summer

By
Henry Jackson
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NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City reacts during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Newcastle United and Manchester Cityat St James' Park on September 27, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Manchester City could reportedly accept a £40m offer for Kalvin Phillips from West Ham this summer, should they want to make his loan move a permanent one.

The Hammers clinched the temporary signing of the England international during the January transfer window, with a move away from the Etihad badly needed for him.

Phillips has found himself almost completely out of favour under Pep Guardiola, and with Euro 2024 around the corner, it was clear that a new challenge was required.

West Ham snapped him up, in what represents an exciting signing, even though he did make a bad start to life in east London, gifting Bournemouth a goal on his debut in the 1-1 draw at the London Stadium on Thursday.

According to Football Insider, the Hammers could be able to sign Phillips for £40m at the end of the season, should they decide they want to keep him on:

“West Ham United have been told by Man City that they will have to play £40million to make Kalvin Phillips’ loan move permanent, sources have told Football Insider.

[…]

“Phillips joined the Hammers on loan for the remainder of the season, but his deal does not include an option to buy. Should David Moyes’ side want to retain the England international after this campaign, they would have to enter fresh negotiations with Man City.

“It is believed that the 28-year-old does not feature in Pep Guardiola’s long-term plans and the club will look to get him off their books permanently in the summer.”

It is too soon to know if a permanent move for Phillips this summer makes sense, but he is certainly a high-level player who has been a key man for England in the past, impressing greatly at Euro 2020.

Admittedly, his career has stalled in the last 18 months or so, but there is no reason why he can’t be reborn at West Ham, adding a combination of technical ability and bite to the midfield.

Phillips will be so desperate to prove his worth before the Euros, as he looks to feature prominently for Gareth Southgate’s side, and the fact that he could want to join the Hammers on a long-term deal may also mean he is more focused than ever.

West Ham battling Premier League rivals for signing of Victor Boniface

By
Henry Jackson
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0

West Ham and Chelsea are reportedly battling to complete the signing of Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface this summer.

The Hammers could look to sign a new attacking hero come the end of the season, especially if Michail Antonio ends up moving on, with his current deal expiring once the current campaign reaches its conclusion.

At 33, the West Ham ace arguably isn’t the force he used to be leading the line, which is highlighted by the fact that he has only started 11 Premier League games this season.

According to a fresh transfer update from Football Insider, the east Londoners are keen on signing Boniface in the summer transfer window, but face stiff competition from Chelsea:

“West Ham are set to be joined by Chelsea and other Premier League clubs in the race for Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface this summer, sources have told Football Insider.

“It is believed multiple top-flight English clubs are already laying the groundwork to sign the 23-year-old – who will not be released from the German club in the January window despite interest.”

[…]

“A well-placed source has told Football Insider that Leverkusen will soften their stance on letting him leave for the right price in the summer window – potentially spawning a bidding war for the striker’s signature.”

Boniface could be an excellent summer signing by West Ham, given the pedigree he has. He may be sidelined by injury currently, failing to aid Leverkusen in their Bundesliga title push – they are top of the table of Bayern Munich, as things stand – but he has proven himself as an excellent player in recent years.

The 23-year-old’s impact in 2023/24 before his fitness setback is highlighted by an eye-catching return of 10 goals and seven assists in 16 league appearances, and that level of end product could make the Hammers even more of a force moving forward.

Boniface is still a young footballer, so he would be coming in as someone who could make an impact for many years to come, although he is contracted with Leverkusen until 2028, so a sizeable bid may be required to seal his services.

With Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen already such key attacking players for West Ham, the Nigerian ace could be a great foil for the Hammers duo moving forward, leading the line with a combination of finishing and creativity.

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