West Ham are “leaving themselves vulnerable” in their quest to replace Declan Rice.
West Ham manager David Moyes before match
West Ham United’s approach to replacing Declan Rice and signing players in general is not something transfer insider Dean Jones has seen at any other club.
Jones says the Hammers sometimes start discussions with up to 10 different players for one position before narrowing things down and has explained to GIVEMESPORT why such a strategy is risky.
West Ham transfer news
West Ham are in the market for a midfielder after selling Rice to Arsenal in a £105m deal, as reported by BBC Sport.
They have been linked with several players, including Fulham’s Joao Palhinha. Last month, Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth informed GIVEMESPORT that the Hammers were “very interested” in signing the 28-year-old.
In terms of how much he could cost, one report from the MailOnline claims that the Whites want £60m for their midfielder.
Multiple outlets, including The Guardian, have stated that West Ham have already had a £45m bid turned down.
What has Dean Jones said about West Ham’s approach to transfers?
Jones says West Ham talking to so many players at once leaves them vulnerable to other clubs swooping in and snatching one of the names that had been on their list.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “I’ve never known anything like it when it comes to West Ham approaching the market and trying to find solutions in a certain area of the field.
“They open the net so wide that they then go and have discussions with 10 different players and slowly, slowly narrow things down, but they’re always leaving themselves vulnerable to other clubs coming into those conversations with other players that they actually do rate highly and actually end up taking them off their toes. So that’s where this becomes difficult.”
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Which other midfielders do West Ham have on their shortlist to replace Declan Rice?
According to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti, the Hammers are closing in on the signing of Juventus’ Denis Zakaria.
Should West Ham get that done, there is still a possibility that they buy Palhinha or another midfielder on top of the 26-year-old, though.
Rice was such a big player for David Moyes that the Scotsman may need two new additions to fill the void his former captain has left.
As well as Palhinha and Zakaria, West Ham also appear to hold an interest in Ajax star Edson Alvarez. Last week, The Athletic claimed that the Premier League outfit had made contact with the Eredivisie side over a potential deal.
Over the last year, Alvarez has ranked in the 99th percentile for clearances and the 99th for aerials won among his positional peers (via FBref), so the Mexico international is a midfielder who can deal with danger and really impose himself.
It is going to be quite interesting to see who West Ham do end up bringing to the London Stadium to replace Rice. It is clear that they have multiple options, with perhaps more than one name needed.
