West Ham United in advanced talks to sign Swansea midfielder Flynn Downes – Sky Sports
West Ham are in advanced talks with Swansea City as they aim to sign boyhood Hammer Flynn Downes, according to Sky Sports News.
The broadcaster reported on Wednesday (6 July) that the Irons are close to finalising a deal worth £12millon for the 23-year-old Essex-born midfielder.
It is understood that West Ham see Downes as a player who could fill the void left by former captain Mark Noble, who retired at the end of last season.
Get it done
West Ham really need to strengthen their midfield.
Alex Kral was a massive flop last season but thankfully he was only on loan at the London Stadium and there was no obligation to sign him permanently.
Noble, of course, has retired and that has left Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek as the only central midfielders in the senior squad.
Conor Coventry is another option but he’s regularly been overlooked at the London Stadium and it might be a risk to go into the new season with him being high up the pecking order.
Downes, on the other hand, is a superb technical player who’ll be brilliant in our midfield.
Last season, stats by WhoScored show that no midfielder in the Premier League and Championship had a higher pass accuracy than Downes [92.6%]. Second to him was Fulham’s Tom Cairney [92%] and third was none other than Manuel Lanzini [91.1%].
David Moyes seems like he’s getting a bit of a steal here.
Downes is a local lad and signing him for just £12million adds a quality playmaker who’s going to add to the homegrown quota as the Irons prepare to embark upon another season in European competition.
We’re thrilled with this one.
Keep up the good work, Moysey.