West Ham announce retained list for next season, no mention of David Martin
West Ham have announced that Fabian Balbuena will exit the club this month after issuing their retained squad list on the club website, but there was no mention of David Martin.
Balbuena, 29, will leave the London Stadium on June 30 upon the expiry of his contract, but he was the only senior star named as a confirmed departure this summer.
Young professionals Sean Adarkwa, Olatunji Akinola, Samuel Caiger, Alfie Lewis and Joshua Okotcha were also named as those who will leave when their contracts expire.
Goalkeeper Martin is the other senior player whose contract runs out at the end of June, with The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas claiming last month that he would be released.
However, there was no mention of the 35-year-old on the club’s website or social media announcements.
New contract or new role?
With numerous reports suggesting David Moyes is in the market for a new goalkeeper, including that from the aforementioned Thomas, the general feeling was that Martin would be off after two years spent with the Irons.
Darren Randolph was expected to assume the third-choice spot with Lukasz Fabianski set to fight it out with a new, younger shot-stopper.
However, could Martin be set for an Irons reprieve? Possibly, but we think there could also be a new role for him.
Of course, Martin could well be off this summer regardless of any announcements, and the club may just be tabling a different proposal altogether.
Could a player-coach role appeal to Martin? Or just as a coach? He is a lifelong West Ham fan, after his father, Alvin, starred for the club during his playing days.
Retaining a popular member of the first-team squad in this way could be a bright move by the club, but we will have to wait and see what their intentions are for him.
In other West Ham news, Irons have reportedly approached a Premier League rival for a midfielder who scored at the London Stadium in 2020.
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