Aaron Cresswell now set for more minutes at West Ham United after summer transfer exit talks – Dean Jones
West Ham United defender Aaron Cresswell has reached “the beginning of the end” of his London Stadium career but is still likely to be handed more game time this season, according to Dean Jones.
The former Eurosport journalist, speaking to GiveMeSport (8 September), believes the respect the West Ham veteran has around the club means he is surely now set for more minutes than forward Maxwel Cornet.
The 33-year-old pushed to leave for Wolves during the summer window [The Athletic, 19 July] and even missed training as they offered him better wages in order to be closer to his family.
Having entered the final 12 months of his contract at the London Stadium, Jones believes Cresswell is coming towards the end of his career but still expects him to feature heavily this season at the expense of Cornet, who also was close to leaving during the summer window.
“I’m not sure about Cornet. I don’t know how he is going to fit in. I think it might be difficult to find a way of reintegrating him, said Jones.
“Cresswell is obviously part of the furniture at West Ham. He’s been there for a long time. There’s a lot of respect for him at the club, and at some stage they’re going to need him.
“He’ll come in and be fine, I’m sure. We know that this is the beginning of the end for Cresswell, so we’ll have to wait and see what the long-term future holds.
“But I’m more hopeful for Cresswell than I am Cornet in terms of getting minutes across the season.”
Still a key asset
Cresswell was indeed so close to leaving the club during the summer transfer window as he made his feelings known regarding a move to be closer to his family.
West Ham United were also interested in Manchester United’s Alvaro Fernandez and Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen which shows how much Cresswell was close to leaving.
However, no move materialised and the 33-year-old will now continue his nine-year stay in East London. However, he’s yet to feature for David Moyes as of yet with Italian international Emerson the preferred candidate at left back.
But, with the club expected to experience a huge turnover of games in the coming weeks, Cresswell is certain to get his opportunity before long and the same can probably be said of Cornet with West Ham United failing to add to their attack over the summer window.
Both players may well have been destined to leave the club a few weeks ago, but how quickly and dramatically things change in football as they could well become crucial performers over the course of the next few months.
Don’t rule out a January transfer exit for either of them, too.
In other West Ham news, a European club was offered the chance to sign one London Stadium-linked player with the Hammers yet to make a decision on a possible free transfer.