LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 03: A general View of the stadium Bowl before the Pre-Season Friendly match between West Ham United and Athletic Bilbao at London Stadium on August 3, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images)
Euro star wants West Ham transfer done by 11 p.m., refuses other offers – reports
West Ham United are ‘furious’ at the’scandalous’ deadline day situation in which Danny Ings, Pablo Fornals, Maxwel Cornet, and Ben Johnson may go.
According to Kieran Gill, West Ham are “furious” that they have a game on deadline day when four players in the team “could all go.”
On Thursday night (31 August, 5.30pm), the Daily Mail journalist told the paper’s YouTube transfer live stream that he understood why the Irons feel it is “scandalous” that their Premier League trip to Luton Town has clashed because David Moyes wants to name Danny Ings, Maxwel Cornet, Pablo Fornals, and Ben Johnson on his bench.
With the quartet potentially moving on before the 11pm deadline, he’s stuck because they can’t leave the game in the middle of a move if a suitable bid comes in within those hours.
“We should mention, tomorrow they’re playing at Luton at 8 p.m., and I happen to know they’re furious about that,” Gill remarked.
“They still have work to do, both inbound and outbound. Ben Johnson, Danny Ings, Pablo Fornals, Maxwel Cornet. They might all be released, and Moyes wants to name them on his bench for tomorrow’s game, as he has done for every other game this season.
“But what is Moyes supposed to do if, say, Everton makes a nice bid for Danny Ings at 9 p.m. tomorrow?” ‘Oi Danny, take your equipment off, we’ve got a cab waiting for you at Finch Farm,’ he says.
“I can understand why they’re thinking it’s a bit scandalous that they’re playing, because it doesn’t usually happen and I happen to know they are furious about that.”
Catch 22
It is pointlessly awkward for West Ham to have a game in some of the most crucial hours of the entire summer transfer window, and will likely mean the squad is weaker for it.
If the manager is open to those four names leaving then all he can do is leave them out of the match day squad and do his best with other options.
But after starting the Premier League season strongly he won’t want to risk derailing that progress at Kenilworth Road so it is clearly a frustration.
Because all four are backup alternatives, the manager will have to hope that his top selections can perform without them, but with incoming business coming in at the last minute, he may be without exit-bound players or their replacements for this game.
Another reason why the delay in completing deals earlier in the summer could have been avoided is that fresh recruits might have been brought in already, and prospective departures would not have been required for the team in any case.
While West Ham has worked hard in the last weeks of the transfer window to make up for the disappointments of earlier in the summer, they have been left with one more sting in the tail as they strive to secure a transfer.
