David Sullivan keen to keep hold of Manuel Lanzini at West Ham United
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan is a big fan of Manuel Lanzini according to journalist Dean Jones, and therefore wants to see the Argentine stay beyond this season.
According to Football Insider the Hammers have told Lanzini that he is free to find a new club in the January transfer window, with West Ham keen on cashing in on the 29-year-old ahead of another summer of spending.
The attacking midfielder has been with the club since 2015 when he signed on an initial loan deal from Al Jazira. He remains one of the longest-serving players at the club, and Sullivan is reportedly a big fan of his talents.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed: “I know that Sullivan is a big fan of Lanzini and he feels that he is still a really important member of this squad.
“With that in mind, I just don’t think West Ham will lose him halfway through the season.”
Time to move on
Lanzini isn’t just loved by Sullivan, but also by a large portion of the West Ham faithful. The Argentine maestro has been an incredible servant to the club and chipped in with some vital goals across the last seven years.
But he’s fallen out of favour at the London Stadium recently, with Moyes handing him just five appearances this season.
The arrival of Lucas Paqueta in the summer has pushed him to the back of Moyes’ mind and for the good of Lanzini’s career, a move in either January or next summer could be great for all parties.
Sadly Sullivan might have to wave goodbye to one of his Hammers favourites, with Lanzini’s value likely to tumble the longer the club decide to keep hold of him without actually giving him game time.
It’s a ruthless decision to make, but there’s often no room to be nice in football and Moyes is tasked with taking West Ham back to the top end of the Premier League table and that calls for some hard decisions to be made.
We may have seen Lanzini in a West Ham shirt for the last time.