WHZ View: West Ham should be ruthless as Winston Reid returns from MLS loan
West Ham must be ruthless when it comes to dealing with the future of out-of-favour defender Winston Reid.
The Kiwi defender looks set to return to the London Stadium in the near future, with Hammers insiders Claret & Hugh reporting that Sporting Kansas City turned down the option to sign him permanently.
They add that the club may now look to cancel the defender’s contract at the club, with Reid said to be earning around £70,000 a week.
With David Moyes and the Hammers constantly looking forward and having one eye on the future, they cannot afford to fall back into old traps.
The Scot already has Angelo Ogbonna, Fabian Balbuena, Issa Diop and loanee Craig Dawson to call upon at the back, so there is no reason to bring Reid back into the squad.
Any potential squad place that could have opened up for Reid should be handed to one of the club’s younger stars, with a view to long-term development.
The Hammers have a number of promising young defenders coming through the ranks at the moment, namely 2019 signing Goncalo Cardoso and Ajibola Alese.
West Ham also recently announced the signing of Frederik Alves, a Danish youth international from Silkeborg.
Having the ability to lower the average age of the West Ham squad – which currently stands at 28.8 – and also trim some of the wage bill makes it a no-brainer for the Hammers.
In other West Ham news, Trying to re-sign Marko Arnautovic would be a desperate move by West Ham