Matthew Upson urges West Ham to make big move for Jesse Lingard
Matthew Upson is desperate for West Ham to sign Jesse Lingard this summer after he lit up the London Stadium last season.
Lingard, 28, scored nine Premier League goals and registered four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances for the Irons, following his loan move from Manchester United in January.
He has now departed east London after his loan spell came to an end and he is currently with the England national team as they gear up for the European Championships that begin next week.
Ex-Irons defender Upson, who now works as a commentator and pundit for the BBC, believes David Moyes and GSB must do everything they can to persuade Lingard to return to the club.
“I’m not sure if there’s still a future for him at Manchester United and it’s hard to know whether it will be difficult to get him,” he told LiveScore.
“But I really feel West Ham should go all out to get him. He’s proven he fits in with the style of play and the impact he’s had since January has been phenomenal.”
All eyes on the board
This seems like a simple transaction to make given our desire to sign Lingard and his obvious love for the club, but Manchester United and our board are the two parties who could put the stoppers on such a move taking place.
Manchester United are surely happy to let him go on a permanent deal this summer with Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings for them in the playmaker role, but they will be eyeing a bidding war for Lingard’s services after watching him flourish at the Irons.
The England international’s form has surely piqued the interest of other clubs and that could put paid to our chances of re-signing him.
That’s because of our notorious owners who seem to be reluctant to put their hands in their pockets to improve the squad.
For example, we sold Sebastien Haller in January yet failed to bring a new forward in, leaving just the injury-prone Michail Antonio as an option.
That, arguably, cost us any chance of securing a Champions League spot.
Unless the sum required to sign Lingard is astronomical, we should be doing everything to bring him back.
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