Darren Bent makes West Ham United prediction if they sign ‘unbelievable’ Kalvin Phillips and Emile Smith Rowe
A top-six finish in the Premier League would be the minimum expectation for West Ham if they can sign Kalvin Phillips and Emile Smith Rowe, according to Darren Bent.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Friday (19 January), the pundit said the English duo would be “unbelievable” signings if the Hammers can secure loan deals for the Arsenal and Manchester City stars this month.
He added that the Irons fans should already be excited about the squad they currently have at their disposal, but that the midfield pair would make them start to think about what else could be achieved at the London Stadium.
“Kalvin Phillips and Emile Smith Rowe, they would be two unbelievable signings for their squad, especially pushing in Europe as well as pushing that top six where they are,” said Bent.
“All of a sudden if you’re a West Ham fan, you’re excited now anyway because of the players you’ve got, you bring in them two as well, you’re almost like ‘oh my goodness, what can we do with this squad?’.
Asked by host Andy Goldstein where West Ham should finish with Phillips and Smith Rowe, Bent said: “Definitely top six. Minimum top six. I think they should be aiming for top six anyway because I think they’re a good side, but if you add them two in, top six then becomes the minimum.”
Long way to go
It’s great to be optimistic about what West Ham can achieve this season, but we do need to get players through the door before any further goals can be set.
Although it looks like a deal for Smith Rowe is now unlikely to happen as Arsenal want to keep hold of the attacking midfielder, the Hammers are believed to be the frontrunners in the race to sign the 28-year-old Phillips.
The England international would be an excellent addition to the options in central midfield as it’s an area where David Moyes is a little bit short.
But even though Smith Rowe probably won’t be arriving at the London Stadium, it’s great to hear that the club are being that ambitious as the 23-year-old has been earmarked as a promising talent for a number of years.
It’s one thing being interested and another getting deals done, though, so now we need to move on to other targets and get someone in who can provide a bit more quality to some of the excellent options we already have in the attacking areas.
In other West Ham news, Dharmesh Sheth has shared the transfer stance of a player the Hammers want to sign.
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