![Vaclav Cerny's Rangers performances have alerted West Ham United [Credit: Imago]](http://media.assettype.com/westhamzone%2Fimport%2Fstatic%2Fuploads%2F7%2F2025%2F01%2Fvaclav-cerny-west-ham.png?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
West Ham favourites to sign Vaclav Cerny after Rangers developments
West Ham United are looking to jump ahead of Villarreal in the running to sign Rangers loanee Vaclav Cerny this summer, according to Fichajes.
The Spanish outlet reported on 14 January that Cerny's "dream" displays at Ibrox have attracted the attention of several clubs, with the Hammers expected to act once he returns to parent club Wolfsburg.
Cerny, currently on a season-long loan with Rangers from the Bundesliga side, is in line to return to Germany in the summer, by which time his value in the market is likely to have increased significantly.
The Irons, however, are seen as the favourites to secure the 27-year-old's services ahead of Villarreal, with the "economic power" of the Premier League set to be the deciding factor.
Vaclav Cerny transfer sign of new direction at West Ham
The summer transfer window of 2024 was pitched as one which would take the Hammers to a new level, with over £120million splashed out on nine new first-team signings across various positions.
However, with the now-sacked Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten signing off on these transfers, very few have proven to be good deals for the club thus far, and several others have been real head-scratchers.
Guido Rodriguez's arrival at Lopetegui's request has proven to be a bad bargain, while Niclas Fullkrug's continuous injuries and Luis Guilherme's lack of minutes mean the jury remains out on Steidten.
With Graham Potter now at the helm in East London though, and having already had to cope with the effects of some lacklustre squad building, a change of approach will certainly be welcome.
Signing players from Europe's more obscure leagues worked wonders for Potter at Brighton, and if he can seal Cerny's signature, expect him to transform the Czech winger into one of the Premier League's better options.
In other West Ham news, one Irons player was slammed as "slack" after what he did early on against Fulham on Tuesday.
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