Gonzo, a presenter on the Hammers Chat YouTube channel, has been speaking about the possibility of West Ham United signing Sean Longstaff.
West Ham splashed a sizeable amount of money in the summer transfer window, which saw them hand David Moyes five new players including Kurt Zouma and Nikola Vlasic, who cost a combined total of £58.5 million – and that trust appears to have been well-placed given how well the Hammers have started this season.
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After spending just shy of £70 million in the summer, the West Ham board may look for some cheaper deals in January, and in particular, players coming towards the end of their contracts. Someone who fits that bill as well as having Premier League experience is Newcastle United’s Longstaff, who was once compared to Declan Rice.
Gonzo has been giving his thoughts on potentially signing Longstaff.
“This is a good player, this is the new Michael Carrick who never quite became Michael Carrick – he used to be the future. People, I felt unfairly on Longstaff, were comparing him with Declan Rice. Declan’s better – but this is a good player.
“I would think Newcastle, with all their reddies, are probably not going to let this guy go on a free, but, a good player. I think he would be a good player for West Ham.”
TIF Thoughts on Longstaff…
The Newcastle academy graduate made his debut under Rafael Benitez and has since gone on to make 80 appearances for his boyhood club, but now he finds himself in a difficult situation with only several months left on his current deal and the Magpies being the wealthiest club in the Premier League, as they may now look to a better quality of player than Longstaff in the near future.
After bursting on the scene, Manchester United were reportedly interested in signing him, with Newcastle slapping a £50 million price tag on him as he was a bright spark to come through an academy that has failed to produce top-class talent for many years now.
West Ham do have a lack of depth in the middle of the pitch and that will only get worse when Mark Noble leaves the club at the end of this season, so trying to sign someone with a lot of top-flight experience at a young age for a potential bargain price given his contractual situation could be a smart move for Moyes, who has proved he likes to sign domestic talents such as Jarrod Bowen and Craig Dawson.
In other news: ‘I checked it out with the club’ – Ex reveals Ben Johnson ‘contract situation’