West Ham United transfer news: Flynn Downes set to leave after weird 12 months amid Russell Martin links at Southampton
Flynn Downes is “likely to be on the move” this summer just a year after signing for West Ham from Swansea, according to The Athletic.
The midfielder arrived as a nominal replacement for the retiring Mark Noble last summer, but despite the Irons’ struggles for most of the campaign David Moyes rarely gave him opportunities in central midfield.
And now, despite the impending big money exit of Declan Rice, and the possible departure of Tomas Soucek as well, Downes appears not to be set for his big break.
He is apparently in the sights of his former Swans boss Russell Martin, who has just taken over at relegated Southampton, and after previous suggestions that he might be included as an attempted make-weight for James Ward-Prowse [ExWHUemployee, 22 June] it seems either way he is set to leave already.
Bewildering
If Moyes wasn’t prepared to put Downes in alongside Rice last season when Soucek was struggling, and is now apparently ready to let him go when both starters might be set to leave, it begs the question as to why he signed him in the first place.
The huge transfer window outlay last year appeared relatively positive at the time, in light of another Premier League campaign and strong Europa League run in the campaign previous.
Allowing for the fact that the manager was pursuing defenders in slightly desperate manner thanks to Nayef Aguerd’s injury and Issa Diop’s push to leave, the overall haul of players that arrived looked ready to push the club on.
Clearly that didn’t work, and while the Europa Conference League win will live long in the memory it can’t disguise the fact that the season as a whole was poor.
In that context last summers’ transfer business is all the more confusing, as Moyes seemed entirely unconvinced by the likes of Downes, Maxwel Cornet and Gianluca Scamacca for long periods when they weren’t injured.
All three could leave this summer, and there are also concerns that club-record signing Lucas Paqueta might go, so who was leading the recruitment a year ago and why Moyes appeared unimpressed leaves questions.
Central midfield is going to require a minimum of two signings, and it would appear the perfect opportunity for Downes to step up.
But apparently not, so with all three senior incumbents possibly leaving there is going to need to be a huge push to land multiple alternatives.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have been put in the frame to sign a star man from a Premier League rival this summer thanks to European football.