Presenter ExWHUemployee has revealed that Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken is viewed as a ‘top target’ ahead of a possible West Ham United transfer.
Earlier in the summer, the insider claimed that Tomas Soucek could be allowed to leave amid concerns over his contractual situation.
While that still remains unclear, it appears that West Ham are eyeing up a move for somebody who plays in a similar way – although that does not necessarily mean Vanaken would be signed to replace the Czech.
In a new update shared on The West Ham Way Patreon page, Ex explained that interest in the Belgian star is ‘legitimate’ and that he is high on the list of targets for David Moyes and co at the moment.
The presenter said: “He is definitely someone we spoke to a couple of years ago so the interest could still be there. There are a couple of things that give me hesitancy over this deal: his age (he is almost 30 and Moyes tends to sign younger) and he is a similar style/physique to Soucek and I believe we are looking for a different type of attacking midfielder.
He then added: “We can confirm that interest in Vanaken is also legitimate; again, other options in the mix, but has emerged as a top target.”
Would you sell Tomas Soucek this summer if you were David Moyes?
Yes
No
TIF thoughts on Hans Vanaken and West Ham…
Considering Soucek is still very much a key part of the West Ham setup – having started both Premier League games so far – it is a bit of a surprise to hear that there is interest in a similar sort of player.
However, with that aforementioned doubt lingering over the Czech international, the Hammers may well be looking to bring in extra depth should a sudden exit occur in the final weeks of the summer window.
And considering the Hammers have lost both league games so far – with Soucek averaging a lowly 6.5 rating on SofaScore in those matches – Moyes may well feel as though Vanaken can be an upgrade in the middle of the park.
Vanaken has fared pretty well already this season with Brugge too, scoring once and picking up an average SofaScore match rating of 7.15 in his first four league games of the new campaign, so he does at least appear to be in form himself.