West Ham should be cautious with Jesse Lingard interest says Paul Brown
Daily Star journalist Paul Brown has said West Ham should be vigilant as they look to revive their interest in Jesse Lingard.
The 29-year-old lit up the London Stadium in a loan spell last season from Manchester United and David Moyes was reportedly keen on bringing the Englishman back on a permanent basis.
However with Lingard’s salary estimated to be around £80,000 a week, Brown has suggested a move could affect the morale of the current crop of players if he was to arrive on a similarly paid deal.
“It would be difficult to justify that, I think, with the rest of the squad,” he told GiveMeSport (22 April).
“I think that would probably stir up some problems later down the road. People tend to think Lingard is still a young player, but he’s not really anymore.
“He’s not someone you’re going to get five years at the top out of, and they do have players in that age bracket at the club already. So, West Ham need to be careful on that one, I think.”
Difficult choice
This is a tricky decision for West Ham and Moyes to make in a summer where it’s vital they get their transfer business right.
Lingard was nothing short of sensational for the Irons in the second half of last season but has barely played back in Manchester this time around and there’s no guarantee he’d be able to reach those levels in a claret and blue shirt again.
That said his availability on a free removes a lot of the financial risk from the deal, although a lot of that could depend on what sort of wages both parties could agree on.
Nikola Vlasic is a player in a similar mould but has really struggled to bring the same impact Lingard did since arriving at the London Stadium last summer, so it could be wise for Moyes to bring in someone he knows he can trust in that position.
There is a lot to weigh up but for the points, he could help win for the Irons if a reasonable deal can be negotiated the club must surely look at bringing him back in.
In other West Ham news, Michail Antonio has shared his thoughts on the Hammer’s Europa League run.
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