West Ham are interested in signing Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden, according to the Newcastle Chronicle.
The newspaper claims that the Hammers need to increase the number of ‘homegrown’ players within their squad to meet Premier League quotas and believe Hayden – who impressed at the Magpies last season – could be a good signing.
The England Under-21 international – who the Chronicle say handed in a transfer request last summer – was dropped by Rafael Benitez in August, but regained his place in the side on Boxing Day and went on to play in every game until the end of the season.
The report adds that Newcastle will demand more than £15million for Hayden, since the 24-year-old is eligible to play for England and Benitez would generally oppose selling him.
Good move for West Ham?
There is no doubt that Hayden would be a good-quality signing. He is only 24 and has a lot of football ahead of him, while his ability to regain his place in the Newcastle team shows his fantastic attitude and willingness to work hard and fight for a spot in the lineup. These are all qualities that any manager would want from his players, and the fact that Hayden helped Newcastle secure a 13-th placed finish adds to his talent. But Declan Rice has already nailed down a spot in the defensive midfield position at West Ham and, unless the youngster leaves for a top-six club this season, there is no real reason for the Hammers to sign Hayden.
This is Futbol rating 6/10
Likely to happen?
With West Ham needing more English players in their squad and Hayden having submitted a transfer request, there is a chance. Hayden’s main reason for wanting to leave is so that he can be closer to his family, and that would be possible with a move further south. It must also be said, however, that Benitez is only likely to let Hayden leave after finding a replacement.
This is Futbol rating 5/10