West Ham want to sign James McAtee from West Ham United [Credit: Imago]

James McAtee frustrations emerge as West Ham United eye Manchester City gem

Senior Correspondent AUTHORITY Senior football journalist specialising in refereeing and officiating; former contributor to The Football League Paper, Late Tackle, and the Premier League; University of Derby graduate. FOCUS Refereeing controversies, football finance and governance, PGMOL decisions, and officiating analysis across the Premier League, EFL, and SPFL. THE INSIGHT Harri utilises a network of officiating and industry contacts to deliver verified, expert analysis of refereeing decisions and PGMOL policy. He provides the regulatory clarity behind the controversy to ensure fans get the full picture.

Published on:

27 Dec 2024, 10:52 am

Manchester City are facing a battle to keep James McAtee amid transfer interest from West Ham ahead of January, according to The Telegraph.

The newspaper reported via its website [27 December] that the 22-year-old has become frustrated by his lack of game time under Pep Guardiola, with a plethora of European teams interested in his signature.

Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Fiorentina and Bologna have all been credited with interest in the player, who has 18 months left on his contract.

McAtee is understood to favour a move away from the Etihad ahead of the January transfer market, hoping to gain valuable playing time before the European Under-21 Championships in June.

West Ham United must take advantage of James McAtee situation

There is absolutely no denying that any club in the Premier League would be lucky to add McAtee to their current squad, which makes it all the more baffling that he is underused by Guardiola.

He has yet to start a single game in the Premier League this season, even despite the number of injury issues at the Etihad, so it is no wonder why the youngster is frustrated.

While Edson Alvarez has the potential to improve under Julen Lopetegui, Guido Rodriguez has shown little reason why he should keep his spot in the Hammers XI moving forward.

Further up the pitch, Lucas Paqueta's form has already looked to be a problem for the new manager, something that has been evident for quite a while now.

West Ham United technical director Tim Steidten. (Credit: Imago)

McAtee could certainly ease some of the attacking frustrations, helping in the final third alongside Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Niclas Fullkrug.

If his £20million price tag is realistic, as per The Sun, there should be absolutely no reason why David Sullivan does not sanction the signing during the January window.

In other West Ham news, one player has already been ruled out to face Liverpool after what happened versus Southampton.

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