Simon Jordan baffled by Aaron Wan-Bissaka development after West Ham United transfer. Simon Jordan has admitted West Ham United’s decision to hand Aaron Wan-Bissaka a seven-year contract “doesn’t make a lot of sense” to him.
The Hammers confirmed on Tuesday (13 August) the signing of the Manchester United defender in a deal worth a reported £15million after weeks of transfer speculation [The Athletic, 13 August]. Surprisingly, the Englishman has agreed a seven-year deal at the London Stadium and while talkSPORT host Jordan has praised the defender, he has been left baffled by that decision.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Tuesday (13 August, 12:05) he said: “The seven-year deal given that we know you can’t capitalise players over a period of longer than five years because Chelsea were doing all that. “I don’t know, why would you want to sign a 26-year-old for seven years? I don’t know that, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
“Longer contracts are the order of the day now. He’s a good player, just because he hasn’t had a great time at Manchester United and some of his limitations offensively were found out, but he played in an average Man United side. “Aaron’s a good player, Palace did well out of it which is my primary concern and West Ham have got a good defender.”
How much did West Ham pay Manchester United for Aaron Wan-Bissaka?
Most had expected Wan-Bissaka’s contract at the London Stadium to run until 2030 as had been initially reported, but somewhere in negotiations between the parties, an additional year has been placed on that contract [Florian Plettenberg, 12 August]. In the grand scheme of things, this will matter very little as it is incredibly rare that in this day in age a player stays at a club for the entire length of their contract, especially one as long as this deal.
Julen Lopetegui has had a busy summer at West Ham. As Jordan suggests, longer contracts are the flavour of the month in football currently and West Ham have used them frequently, namely in the case of Jarrod Bowen where they managed to tie down a valuable asset.
By handing Wan-Bissaka such a long deal, Julen Lopetegui’s side have protected their asset and ensured that should any clubs come knocking they will be able to command a big fee for his services. Hopefully, the Englishman will have a long and successful career at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, George Earthy is set to complete a loan move away from the London Stadium and join a Championship side