West Ham United are said to be lining up a summer move to sign Newcastle United full-back Kieran Trippier.
And that news can only mean one thing as far as I’m concerned.
Julen Lopetegui desperately needs to sign a new right-back this summer, and the West Ham boss has been heavily linked with a move for Manchester United ace Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
However, Kieran Tripper has apparently now emerged onto the Hammers’ radar, with a deal for the Man United star proving tricky.
The 54-capped England international was a regular feature for Gareth Southgate’s side out in Germany at the Euros this summer, filling in for Luke Shaw at left-back right up until the final.
He has been a solid player throughout the years, and has regularly captained Newcastle during his time at St James’ Park.
Trippier seems to be an important player for Eddie Howe as well, and when he’s not injured he’s a shoo-in to start pretty much every game.
So could he really be set to swap Tyneside for East London?
Stunning Kieran Trippier to West Ham claim means one thing
I believe that something bigger is at play here.
According to a report from The Telegraph, West Ham want to bring Kieran Trippier to the London Stadium this summer.
This report has come completely out of the blue, and I’m just not sure how he will be a feasible option for us this summer.
Trippier, who earns £120k-a-week at Newcastle (Spotrac), moved to St James’ Park from Atletico Madrid in January 2022 for around £12 million.
He’ll be out of contract with the Magpies in the summer of 2025, so it would be no surprise to see them try to sell him now, rather than risk losing him for nothing in 12 month’s time.
I’m running on the theory that this may well be a tried and tested method from the Hammers owners.
Could they be leaking interest in Trippier to force Manchester United’s hand regarding their valuation of Aaron Wan-Bissaka? It’s certainly possible, and wouldn’t be the first time they’ve used that tactic this summer.
Just look at how we flushed out Wolves when we were trying to sign Max Kilman, with a supposed bid for Jean-Clair Todibo!
Trippier wouldn’t be a bad stop-gap signing for the Hammers, but nothing more. At 33, he’s definitely in the twilight years of his career now and the latest signs are that he is slowly regressing.
And let’s face it, I’m not sure we’d be able to match his wage demands anyway.
Give me Wan-Bissaka any day of the week over the Newcastle United man.
As mentioned above though, if West Ham sign Kieran Trippier on a short-term deal, he wouldn’t be the worst signing in the world.
I just don’t believe that we have a concrete interest in signing him in the first place. Only time will tell I guess.
