West Ham United take Portsmouth talent Charlie Bell on trial – report
West Ham United have taken highly-rated Portsmouth talent Charlie Bell on trial, according to the Sun.
The newspaper have reported on their website that the 18-year-old playmaker will spend the week with the Irons, with Brighton also interested.
Bell has been given the green light to leave Fratton Park on a free deal, with the League One club having financial restrictions after the COVID-19 pandemic.
This could open the door for a smart move for the Irons.
Bell is clearly highly-rated, and being available on a free transfer makes it a risk-free deal moving forward for the academy.
The 18-year-old would surely find it impossible to turn down a move to the London Stadium, especially given our newfound success this season.
With the potential to play Champions League or Europa League football next season, our academy could be critical for rotation policies soon.
We have struggled with squad depth in the final third this season, with Mipo Odubeko sitting on the bench for the majority of the campaign.
Pompey coach Liam Daish labelled Bell as “Quality” after he previously stole the show against the Irons academy in the EFL Trophy last season.
The playmaker appears to have caught the eye at Fratton Park, but that makes it strange that they haven’t made it a priority to keep him around past this season.
Given that he has only made a handful of first-team appearances, his wages can’t be through the roof, but possibly he wants to move on and progress.
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