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We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
West Ham have been told to sign Kalvin Phillips and Conor Gallagher to replace the outgoing Declan Rice and underperforming Tomas Soucek this summer.
Rice looks set to leave the club at the end of the season to bring to an end one of the longest-running transfer sagas in the country, while Soucek will enter the final year of his deal after an underwhelming last two seasons at the club.
West Ham are likely to be busy in the transfer market again as they look to bolster the squad having been in a relegation battle all season, and Frank McAvennie believes signing Phillips and Gallagher could be a ready-made partnership.
“If Declan is going, me I’d go for the boy at Man City Phillips,” he told West Ham Zone.
“But the fans are not happy with Soucek at West Ham, so maybe they want him [Gallagher] for that. I don’t know what he’d cost.
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“You’d get Phillips for £50m and you’ll sell Declan for £100m, so you can spend £30m on that boy for the middle two because Soucek is not doing it.
“Downes is not good enough to come in and establish himself yet, he’s only a young boy. He’s just come in and they’ll ease him in.
“But that would be two ready-made midfielders. They could play together.”
Moyes has long been interested in Phillips, stretching back to a £50m bid made while he was still at Leeds while Gallagher is expected to leave Chelsea this summer after a lack of regular game time this season.
West Ham are due to demand £100m for Rice, although it’s believed Arsenal and Chelsea are the most interested parties and do not want to pay that much as they know he is desperate to leave.