“Walk Away” | Hammers Must Call Villa’s Bluff part of being a good negotiator is knowing when to walk away from a deal, and I believe West Ham may have reached that point.
Aston Villa have rejected the Irons’ latest transfer offer of £32 million, Lewis Orford, and a sell-on clause for striker Jhon Duran. This was revealed by Fabrizio Romano earlier today following another protracted round of negotiations.
The Hammers’ negotiating team is entitled to offer whatever they deem necessary to recruit a player, and Villa is quite within their rights to reject that offer.
However, what concerns me most are Romano’s closing comments, which indicated that talks between West Ham and the Midlands club are set to continue.
Personally, I believe the offer to be a very good one—too good, in fact. I previously outlined my reasons for not wanting Lewis Orford included in the transfer deal, but putting my personal opinions aside, I do believe he is a significant makeweight.
£32 million and the England Under-18 captain, who is also on the cusp of a first-team breakthrough, is an awful lot of money for any player. Considering Jhon Duran does not have a proven track record and, despite his obvious potential, is still untested in the top flight, this offer seems reasonable.
West Ham are rumoured to have rejected the chance to sign Jonathan David and Ivan Toney for financial reasons, while Duran was considered the cheaper option… not anymore he ain’t.
Unless there is something seriously wrong with my mathematics, I would suggest that a sell-on clause and Lewis Orford would be worth in excess of £15 million. Therefore, I believe we are looking at a transfer fee of around £50 million for the Aston Villa striker, which is a fee I can’t see any other club paying.
West Ham need to call Villa’s bluff on this deal, be prepared to walk away, and start putting in serious offers for other strikers. And while we’re at it, find the money to give Lewis Orford the contract we should have given Ben Johnson.
