Hans Vanaken goes public about his wish to join West Ham United from Club Brugge
West Ham have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Hans Vanaken after the player went public with his wish to leave Club Brugge this summer.
The Hammers have already had a €10m (£8.4m) bid rejected by the Belgian giants for the attacking midfielder, with reports that they laughed off the bid because of it’s derisory nature.
However following Club Brugge’s 2-1 win on Sunday, in which Vanaken started, he gave an interview to ElevenSports in which he admitted that he wants to take the opportunity to leave the club as it could be his final chance.
Asked about his future, Vanaken said; “This may be my last chance, I want to take it.”
Reports suggest that Brugge want around €20m to allow the 28-year-old to leave, while West Ham are hopeful of agreeing a deal for around €15m including add-ons.
Get it done
West Ham are absolutely desperate for fresh faces and improvements to their playing squad, and Vanaken can do that for them on a budget.
David Moyes’ side are yet to score a single goal in the league after three games this season and have been beaten each time by Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and most recently Brighton on Sunday.
Vanaken has scored double figures for goals in each of his last 11 seasons as a professional footballer and despite being about to turn 30, he has got plenty of time remaining in his career and can make a difference.
Even if the Hammers need to pay a little bit more than they initially wanted to, if Moyes wants the player at West Ham this season then the board must back him and get it done.
West Ham want to go up a level with European football and competing with the top sides, so they need to be ruthless and efficient in the transfer market and if they ever needed a sign to get the deal done quickly then this was it.