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Emmanuel Longelo surely set to leave West Ham United this summer
West Ham have a history of younger players leaving the London Stadium for free and they could be about to see another slip through their fingers.
Emmanuel Longelo is currently out on loan at Birmingham City and by all accounts, the left-back has adapted to life well in the Championship. He has started the last six games for John Eustace’s side, playing the full 90 minutes.
Longelo is out of contract at the London Stadium in the summer of 2023, and the 21-year-old could end up leaving the club for free, much like teenage sensation Sonny Perkins did when the 18-year-old joined Leeds United.
ExWHUemployee reported in the summer (13 June) that Premier League clubs Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest were interested in his services, along with Rangers.
Ex also revealed that Forest had a £400,000 January bid rejected for the youngster, with the Irons looking for over a £1million for the left back.
With Longelo performing well out on loan, the Hammers could now face a fight to keep him at the London Stadium when his temporary arrangement at Birmingham and current deal come to a close.
The defender may well look to move elsewhere to gain more first-team football and in turn, mean the club lose him for free. Allowing him to leave on loan in the final year of his contract didn’t seem like the best move from the Hammers and there’s every chance it could backfire.
Right now West Ham may well be kicking themselves for not cashing in on the defender when he had more than a year left on his contract. Longelo’s situation is certainly one to keep an eye on.