West Ham United chief makes transfer call on Ajax and Netherlands ace Steven Bergwijn
West Ham coach Johnny Heitinga has pinpointed Ajax ace Steven Bergwijn as a player who can help enhance the squad, according to Mike Verweij.
The Dutch journalist shared the news on De Telegraaf‘s Kick-Off podcast, as per Voetbal Zone [13 January].
That comes after transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported this week on GiveMeSport that Bergwijn to West Ham “is one to watch”.
Discussing’s West Ham’s interest in the Netherlands international, Verweij said: “I think that Heitinga, who has been there for six months now, has seen that Bergwijn can be of value in West Ham’s playing style. Especially with his speed.
“I think that when Ajax gets the chance, perhaps not this winter, the club will cooperate in a transfer of Bergwijn.
“Only if they get their purchase price back, so around 30 million euros.”
Ready for another shot?
This is certainly an interesting development. West Ham already have an array of attackers, but many of those are either unavailable right now or just not good enough.
Mohammed Kudus is away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, while Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta are sidelined for between one and two months.
Said Benrahma is a natural choice to fill in, but he has just not done enough to show he his good enough to be a regular starter in the side.
Given Ajax are not looking to do business until the summer, this is one to keep an eye on for the time being.
An asking price of around £26million for a player aged 26 is not the highest fee ever, especially one as talented as Bergwijn.
Bergwijn showed flashes of quality during his time in the Premier League with Tottenham, but it did not really develop into consistent top-class performances.
After a couple more years back in his homeland, it may well be that the speedster is now ready for another shot in the English top flight. On the basis of the transfer business last summer, the club must be trusted on this one.
In other West Ham news, the club confirmed on Saturday (13 January) that a senior international player has put pen to paper at London Stadium.