View: Sky Sports update will only delay West Ham pursuit of Johnson
West Ham United may have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson according to a Sky Sports commentator.
The Hammers have previously shown interest in the 20-year-old early on in the January window [Daily Mail] but they have made little inroads since.
Now though, Forest manager Steve Cooper is certain his young star is going nowhere this transfer window.
During the Reds’ Championship game away at Cardiff, Sky Sports commentator Gary Weaver revealed that he had spoken to Cooper prior to the game (30 January, 04:30 pm).
“As of this morning when I spoke to him (Cooper), he was adamant that Brennan Johnson won’t be going anywhere before the window closes tomorrow,” Weaver said.
The most important part of that statement isn’t that he isn’t going anywhere, it is actually “before the transfer window closes”.
That indicates that a summer move for Johnson is still very much on the cards and if Forest remain a second division side, they could be looking at a cut-price deal.
Not something you can complain about given former Forest and Manchester United midfielder branded Johnson a “really talented” individual when they knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup [Nottingham Post].
His ability to take payers out of the game through trickery and pure pace has seen many a Championship left-back loathing playing against him and it is something that should continue in the Premier League when he makes his move.
The Hammers can afford to be patient with Johnson but they will need to be on their toes come the summer with other clubs also circling to catch the 20-year-old.
In other West Ham news, the club would need to double this layers wages to £80k per week to bring him in before the deadline strikes.