With a renewed focus on potential arrivals after officially appointing Graham Potter as manager, West Ham United have reportedly attempted to hijack Napoli’s decision to sign a towering midfielder this month.
West Ham transfer news
With Potter secured, one of the many questions that remains is who will be the first in a new era at the London Stadium. Even names such as Marcus Rashford have already been mentioned, but it remains to be seen whether the Hammers are able to convince the Manchester United outcast to make a January move to Milan.
The new manager will be keen to get off to a good start on and off the pitch and begin rebuilding his reputation following his failures at Chelsea. Potter addressed West Ham fans for the first time after putting pen to paper, telling the club’s official website: “West Ham United are a huge club, in the heart of London, with a fantastic fan base and great support all over the world.
“I saw the scenes following their Europa Conference League victory in 2023 and it was clear that this is a club with everything in place for consistent success, on and off the pitch.
“The Club has made a lot of progress in recent years and has ensured that it has a very strong foundation to build on. You don’t win a European trophy by chance – there has to be a good foundation at a football club To achieve this it has to happen, and the challenge now is to take that challenge and build the next steps, to develop a team and a club that the supporters can be proud of.
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Meanwhile, after turning to a familiar face in the technical department, the London Stadium players could look to do the same at the heart of their midfield.
According to Danish media Ekstra Bladet, West Ham now trying to hijack Napoli deal to sign Philip Billing from Bournemouth before the end of the January transfer window in a deal that would significantly boost Potter’s midfield mobility.
That said, the Hammers face a race against time if they are to secure the Dane’s signature given Napoli are reportedly close to agreeing a loan deal with an option to buy at the end of the campaign.
“Precious” Billing would be Soucek’s partner
Standing at 6ft 6in, Billing would finally replace the mobile Declan Rice at the heart of West Ham’s midfield alongside Edson Alvarez in what could be a crucial addition early in Potter’s tenure.
Meanwhile, if there were concerns that the Dane might not be as talented in possession as he is out of possession, The previous praise of Andoni Iraola should allay these concerns.
The Bournemouth boss described the midfielder as “valuable” at the end of last season and claimed he had scored “important goals” during a strong campaign for the Cherries.
Now, however, Bournemouth’s loss could be West Ham’s gain as they look to hijack the Napoli move and finally replace Rice.
