With the Declan Rice deal to Arsenal nearly accomplished and dusted, West Ham can now focus all of their efforts on beefing up their squad throughout their pre-season.
The very last thing the Hammers want is to be scrabbling round on the finish of the window in search of last-minute bargains that they’ll then have to combine into the squad in double-quick time.
The cash from Rice’s sale ought to afford David Moyes the chance to exit into {the marketplace} and purchase not less than three or 4 gamers that can give the east Londoners the power in depth that they’ll require when attacking the Europa League and their home commitments.
One space the place they’re gentle, significantly with the lack of Rice, is in midfield. One or two new signings there are a should, and to that finish, Football Insider are reporting that the Hammers are stepping up their pursuit of Southampton’s dead-ball specialist, James Ward-Prowse.
After apparently main the chase for Leicester’s Harvey Barnes, solely to see Newcastle muscling in on the deal, David Sullivan can’t prevaricate any longer, lest he dangers dropping out on Ward-Prowse too.
Although he isn’t a direct alternative for Rice, the beneath graphic from Data MB reveals precisely why the east Londoners will want one other defensive midfielder in shortly.
Ward-Prowse will not less than give West Ham an edge in the case of dead-ball conditions in and across the field, and from a private viewpoint, the 28-year-old could possibly be an outdoor wager for England’s European Championship squad if he has a superb season on the London Stadium.
