Final Ben Johnson twist emerges at West Ham United after Julen Lopetegui promise
Ben Johnson looks set to depart West Ham United to join Ipswich Town despite game-time assurances from Julen Lopetegui, according to HITC.
Graeme Bailey has reported (25 June) that there was a “final twist” after the Hammers believed they had convinced the defender to stay.
Lopetegui is said to have offered the Englishman assurances over minutes next season if he signed a new deal.
Despite the chance to be involved in first-team plans at the London Stadium, Johnson has opted for a move to the newly promoted Ipswich Town.
Ben Johnson set to leave West Ham
Johnson has been in contract discussions with the Hammers for what feels like months and now the saga looks to have come to an end.
He didn’t feature very often under David Moyes and a move away under the Scot made plenty of sense to accrue more regular minutes.
With Lopetegui coming in, he could have given it time before making a decision over his future but with his contract ending that may not be possible.
It appears that the Spaniard has offered him the chance to stay on at the London Stadium with regular minutes as part of the deal.
This offer isn’t enough and a move to play for Ipswich Town in the Premier League is something that Johnson doesn’t want to turn down.
The back and forth with West Ham has gone on for a while now and, understandably, he wants it to be ended and maybe a clean break makes sense for both parties.
In other West Ham news, a new transfer push emerges as journalist calls price tag ‘madness’.
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