West Ham United can sympathise with Al-Ettifaq as Jesse Lingard update emerges
Jesse Lingard has still yet to be offered a contract by Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq in a development that will be very familiar to West Ham supporters.
According to 90min [28 September], Lingard must first prove his fitness to the Steven Gerrard-managed club before being handed a contract.
It has many similarities to Lingard’s recent situation at West Ham, having spent time training with the Hammers without being offered a deal.
David Moyes was asked about the prospect of signing free agent Lingard at pretty much every press conference and gave the same stock reply.
After a month at Rush Green, Lingard was still not at the level Moyes had hoped and the forward ultimately decided to move on – whether on his own accord or otherwise.
Now it is claimed the same is happening at Al-Ettifaq, with Lingard seemingly still not fit enough for a contract to be offered.
“Jesse knows there’s an opportunity for him to try and convince us to come to the club,” Gerrard told Al Arabiya [28 September].
“It’s something that we’re analysing and we haven’t made a decision on that yet.”
That sounds an awful lot like what Moyes regularly churned out when probed on Lingard’s chances of staying on at West Ham permanently.
With talkSPORT reporting on 25 September that Lingard is also holding out for substantial wages, his wait for a new club could go on for a while longer yet.
It seemed strange that West Ham allowed Lingard to train with the club for as long as he did, while at the same time paying for his accommodation, transport and food [Sean Whetstone, 22 September].
But at least now they have cut all ties, and it instead a matter for Al-Ettifaq to deal with.
Just do not be surprised to hear more of the same from Gerrard in the coming days and weeks.
In other West Ham news, a first-team regular was accused of running scared after something he did this week.