Journalist shares verdict on West Ham United plan as transfer decision to be made
West Ham must have a plan to sign midfielder Jesse Lingard as he is continuing to train with the club, according to Sean Whetstone.
The 6foot2 editor tweeted on 13 September that it is hard to see the Hammers not giving the England international a chance after he was spotted laughing and joking with other players at Rush Green on Wednesday.
He added that the club are paying for a hotel and arranging travel for the 30-year-old after he lost his driving license in July, something he doesn’t believe the Irons would be doing if there wasn’t a “plan to sign him”.
“Jesse Lingard training today at Rush Green while laughing and joking with the squad,” said Whetstone. “Hard to see West Ham not giving him a chance.
“They are putting him up in a hotel at their own cost while arranging his travel to and from training as he lost his driving license for six months after he was sentenced for speeding in July after giving a false name.
“You don’t do all of that for a favour, there must be a plan to sign him.”
Got a point
It would be a little bit strange for West Ham to go to the efforts they have for Lingard in recent weeks to then eventually decide not to hand him a deal.
While the expense is probably minimal in terms of the outgoings the club will have on an everyday basis, why would they even bother if he wasn’t going to be sticking around?
The midfielder seems desperate to secure a short-term contract with the Hammers on the back of his impressive loan spell at the London Stadium in 2021.
He featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Ipswich Town last week, but that clearly wasn’t enough to persuade David Moyes into handing him a deal yet.
But given that the terms of any agreement are likely to be pretty low, it feels as though this is a relatively low-risk move for us and one that could be worth taking given the potential rewards if we can get him back playing at his best.
In other West Ham news, an eye-catching stat has proved one star is striving despite facing off-field adversity.