West Ham United could be about to lose one of their own after refusing to meet his wage demands, it has been revealed.
Moyes no longer the man for West Ham
There has been no shortage of discontent at the London Stadium this season, despite what from the outside appears to have been a reasonable Premier League campaign for the Hammers.
Seventh in the Premier League, the east London side fell to a 1-0 defeat in Germany against Freiburg but remain very much in their Europa League last 16 tie as they look to win successive European competitions, which would in turn hand them Champions League football for next season.
Earlier in the campaign, David Moyes revealed that he had been offered a new contract, but there has been increasing discontent around his position, and it is unclear whether he will continue beyond this summer, when his current deal expires.
“I’ve had really good conversations with the owners, with David Sullivan and Karren Brady,” he said in February. “There’s a contract there for me and I’m the one deciding I want to wait until the end of the season.”
But that has not stopped speculation that he may leave, and sections of the Hammers fanbase believe that Moyes has taken them as far as he can, with the utilisation of the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus, in particular, being questioned.
And Moyes may not be the only one leaving the London Stadium this summer according to the latest reports.
Johnson contract talks stall
Also heading away from east London at the end of the campaign will be Ben Johnson, with the West Ham man out of contract as it stands and the club unwilling to match his wage demands.
The 24-year-old defender has appeared nine times in the Premier League this season, and appears to have fallen down the pecking order at the Olympic Stadium despite having made over 100 appearances for the club, with his last start coming in the 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal.
However, with his deal expiring in the summer, West Ham insiders Claret and Hugh claim that the Englishman is demanding around £50,000 per week to pen a new contract with the Hammers, something that the club are not going to sanction.
“We won’t pay that sort of money so sadly if he leaves, he leaves”, one club source is thought to have told the site, who dub the news as ‘disappointing’, and accuse Sullivan and co of handing higher wages to others ‘who have done far less for the club than Ben Johnson’.
Johnson has risen through the ranks at West Ham United but may well have to look for another club for the first time in his senior career, with several clubs thought to be interested in adding the experienced Englishman to their ranks should he be available on a free transfer as rumoured.
