West Ham need to cut losses with Ben Johnson amid recent wage demands
Ben Johnson has been around the West Ham squad since graduating from the club’s academy in 2017 but could be heading for the exit door this summer.
A recent report from Claret & Hugh has revealed that the 23-year-old and his agent are requesting a new £60,000 per week contract, which the club are not prepared to pay.
And why would they feel inclined to do so? Johnson has appeared for the youth teams on multiple occasions recently and has not made a Premier League start since March last season.
The full-back has made seven appearances in all competitions this season but only four of those are for David Moyes in the senior team. He has been shunned from the matchday squad 13 times out of a possible 19 matches so far this season.
With Emerson Palmieri and Vladimir Coufal the preferred full-back duo by Moyes, Johnson is unable to get a look-in, which makes his wage demands even more laughable.
The club has been attempting to come to an agreement on a new contract with the Englishman for a while, but if he is going to insist on elements far above his pay grade, West Ham should to cut all ties and move on.
His current contract is set to run out at the end of the 2023/24 season so the player will be allowed to begin talks with other clubs next month.
If a transfer bid is to come in for him during the January transfer window, West Ham need to snap it up without hesitation. Due to only six months left on his contract, it is likely to be a reduced fee but the opposite would mean increasing Johnson’s wage to £60,000 per week.
However, Moyes has made it clear that the academy graduate no longer has a future with the London side, especially when not including him in the senior squad and leaving the youth sides to utilise him.
In other West Ham news, Alan Shearer has reacted to a “devastating” moment v Arsenal.