Billy McKinlay: West Ham United ‘always looking’ for January transfers in new reveal
West Ham assistant manager Billy McKinlay has claimed the club are always looking for transfer deals in January but moved to temper expectations at the London Stadium.
David Moyes’ assistant assured fans that if a deal emerges which they think would improve the squad they would go for it, but their focus remains on the players currently at the club.
It is also said that the club has a firm interest in Sunderland winger Jack Clarke and Ajax forward Steven Bergwijn, although neither deal is close to happening at this stage.
As reported by The Standard, McKinlay told media in his press conference on 15 January: “We’re always looking to do business in terms of improving the squad.
“It’s a really difficult window, as everyone always talks about in January. We’ll be on the lookout to see if there’s anything that we think can improve the squad, but we’re fully focused on what’s in the building.”
Don’t get your hopes up
While McKinlay was never going to walk into the press conference and tell everybody he was confident of serving a whole new attacking lineup walking through the door in January, his comments may be a cause for concern as he was quick to ease expectations.
The talk of focusing on what they’ve already got at their disposal is all well and good, but when those players are no longer at their disposal, as is the case with Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus for differing reasons, replacements are necessary.
The likes of Said Benrahma and Danny Ings, who currently play the role of backup options at the London Stadium, have been touted for moves away, and while they may not materialise, the squad runs the risk of stagnating.
It has been reported that neither player will be allowed to leave East London unless a replacement is found by the transfer team, and judging by McKinlay’s comments that will not be the case, so it’s unlikely there will be any ins or outs at West Ham this month.
In other West Ham news, a legal dispute is now on the cards over the London Stadium.