West Ham United appear to be in the race to sign a truly elite young talent who has been dubbed the ‘new Jude Bellingham’.
Julen Lopetegui is at the helm now, and West Ham appear to be on the cusp of an exciting new era under the Spaniard’s guidance.
The Hammers boss is already getting his summer transfer ducks in a row with moves to sign Brazilian centre-back Bruno and Portuguese winger Jota apparently well advanced.
Lopetegui and Tim Steidten are getting a solid transfer plan in place for the summer, and have been holding detailed discussions about potential targets.
After Bruno and Jota Silva, it seems like Lopetegui could be eyeing up a truly elite young player as his next signing for the Hammers.
How good does it feel to see the new manager making some exciting transfer moves before the window has even officially opened!
That’s something that we quite simply didn’t get with David Moyes in charge. And Lopetegui’s latest transfer target should get the West Ham fans incredibly excited…
Could West Ham be on the verge of signing ‘new Jude Bellingham’
I would love the Hammers to go down the route of signing the next big thing, rather than paying over the odds for mercenaries who are well past their best.
Moyes has left a really ageing and unbalanced squad behind, and we will head into the new season with only seven players under the age of 29, unless Lopetegui chances that of course.
It seems like that’s exactly what the Spaniard intends to do, with a move lined up for one of the most exciting young talents in the game.
According to the Sun, West Ham are battling Atalanta and Leicester City for the signing of Birmingham City starlet Jordan James.
Birmingham could demand around £10 million for James (Mail Sport).
New Bellingham on West Ham radar
Wales manager Rob Page recently suggested the the 19-year-old midfielder could emulate Real Madrid and England superstar Jude Bellingham (The Guardian).
When asked if James could follow in the footsteps of Bellingham, Page said, “He reads the game well, he’s athletic, he likes a tackle, he can pass the ball, he can head it … he ticks a lot of boxes; he has got everything. He is a great lad and he wants to work hard. He has got potential and we’re going to help him achieve that.”
That has to be one of the most exciting descriptions of a young player I’ve heard in a while, and I would absolutely love James at West Ham.
In 42 Championship games for Birmingham last season, the talented teenager bagged an impressive eight goals (Transfermarkt).
He can play as a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box ‘number 8’ or even as a 10. He can also play out wide if need be.
So can we really bring him to East London? It will be hard to fight off competition from Atalanta, who will be playing Champions League football next season.
Pushing Leicester aside shouldn’t be a problem though, so who knows. That said, if James really is to follow in the footsteps of Bellingham, he may want to move abroad and test himself.
Only time will tell whether or not West Ham are able to make an offer that tempts him into joining us. Jordan James is definitely someone the Hammers should be throwing the kitchen sink at though.
