Jose Mourinho could put stoppers on West Ham interest in Roma starlet Ebrima Darboe
West Ham-linked Ebrima Darboe will be assessed by new Roma manager Jose Mourinho before a decision is made on his future, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
The Italian news outlet, citing a report from Il Tempo detailing a meeting between Darboe’s agent and Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto on Thursday, has claimed that Mourinho has given the all-clear to keep him in the squad in order to evaluate him during pre-season.
A decision will then be made after Mourinho’s assessment on whether to keep the 19-year-old at the club for the 2021/22 campaign or let him leave.
However, that would not be permanently, with the Italian giants only willing to sanction a loan deal, and they are readying a new contract for the Gambian born midfielder that will double his wages.
West Ham, along with a host of other Premier League sides including Brighton and Southampton, have been named as potential suitors for his services by online news outlet 90min.
Darboe made history in May as he became the first player born in the 2000s to play in the famous Rome derby with bitter rivals Lazio.
Develop our own stars
The 2021 summer transfer window could be a defining period for West Ham, and we need to make sure we emerge from it with our existing stars intact and the squad considerably bolstered.
We don’t expect sweeping changes to be made to a side that defied the odds to finish sixth last season, but there can be no doubts that reinforcements are required in order for us to compete domestically again and in Europe.
Central midfield is certainly an area we need to we strengthen, with the ageing Mark Noble the only senior deputy to midfield mainstays Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.
But we have to make sure whoever we sign in this area can come in straight away and have an impact.
Darboe may be a highly-rated young talent in Italy, but we can’t afford to be risking a valuable first-team slot for someone so inexperienced that won’t be sticking around after the campaign concludes.
If Roma are keen to retain him in the long-term then perhaps we should be looking elsewhere, considering he made just six appearances for them last season. [WhoScored]
Loan signings should be limited to stars who can make an immediate impact, like Jesse Lingard, or those that we can nurture and exercise a permanent option on.
In other West Ham news, Irons have reportedly approached a Premier League rival for a midfielder who scored at the London Stadium in 2020.
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