Stuart Peace suggests Jesse Lingard would be ‘major asset’ for West Ham United
Stuart Pearce has suggested that Jesse Lingard would be a “major asset” for West Ham should he join the Hammers this summer.
ExWHUemployee reported on his Patreon on 19 July that the Hammers are keen to land him.
However, The Guardian reports on 20 July that Lingard could be on his way to join Nottingham Forest instead.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Pearce said that it’s a “real shame” that Lingard has not come back to West Ham after a fantastic loan spell. He has hailed him as a “brilliant” kid.
“Brilliant kid. He was fantastic at West Ham in the time he was in. It’s a real shame that he hasn’t come back to join the club,” said Pearce on TalkSPORT on 20 July.
“I think he would be a major asset for the club if he did walk through the door and delivered the performance that he did the first time around.”
Real shame
It seems Nottingham Forest are winning the race to sign Lingard this summer.
The England international is a free agent after he was released by Manchester United.
As per The Guardian, the Hammers have held lengthy discussions with the player, but they are now in danger of losing him to their Premier League rivals.
The central issue here is the wages. The 29-year-old understands that this is his last chance to get a fat contract, and he is holding out for £180,000 a week wages.
West Ham could have been ideal for him. He would get regular games at the London club which could have earned him a place on the World Cup squad as well.
However, the Hammers are not prepared to break their wage structure for Lingard. The situation is very complex at the moment.
West Ham have almost given up on Lingard, whereas Forest believe it’s the Hammers who have got a better chance of landing the player.
He would have been a superb addition to David Moyes’ side, but the chances of signing him are getting slim.