West Ham: Steidten’s Dark Arts Paying Off. The pursuit of players this summer has been hindered by clubs continually inflating prices and increasing demands as soon as a deal is being negotiated. Evidence of this can be seen in the Hammers’ interest in Jhon Duran, where the published price suddenly jumped from £35 million to £40 million the moment West Ham tabled a £35 million bid.
A similar situation has occurred with transfer bids for another key position, specifically the ongoing ‘saga’ of acquiring a new right-back. Last week, it seemed the choice was down to one of two players: Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United or Kyle Walker-Peters from Southampton. Both sellers were reportedly holding out for £20 million-plus for defenders in their final year of contract.
Our Technical Director appears to be using the ‘Ajax playbook’ once again, if reports are accurate. Last summer, he feigned interest in Ajax target Carlos Borges until West Ham hesitated, allowing Ajax to ‘steal’ him. Ajax proudly announced they had ‘snatched the player from a Premier League rival.’ This left the Dutch club desperate for cash and unable to resist West Ham’s double swoop for Kudus and Alvarez, whom Steidten had been tracking all summer.
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It seems West Ham’s chief negotiator is at it again, trying to pry a right-back from a Premier League club by appearing to pursue one of their own targets.
Manchester United have been seeking to acquire Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui for a reunion with former boss Erik ten Hag. Very publicly, according to Dharmesh Sheth, West Ham began direct talks with Bayern Munich over Mazraoui.
“West Ham in talks with Bayern Munich over signing right-back Noussair Mazraoui. The Morocco international is into the final 2 years of his contract. Interest retained in Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters and Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka.”
It worked.
Shortly after this became public knowledge, Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg confirmed on X: “Man Utd seriously considering replacing Wan-Bissaka with Mazraoui. Therefore, they have lowered their demand for AWB and now seek £10m!
While West Ham’s negotiations regarding the Downes/Southampton/KWP situation have faced criticism, it seems ‘Tim is doing his thing’ to create opportunities to acquire targets in deals that favour West Ham. The intricate tactics of Premier League negotiation are alive and well, and it’s refreshing to see West Ham as the savvy negotiators rather than the victims.
If our assumptions are correct, expect a new right-back to arrive in the next week or so. No pressure, Tim.
Now, how to persuade Aston Villa to see reason with Jhon Duran? That would seriously boost our optimism for the future. West Ham United fans have been growing frustrated with the lack of action this summer. With some of the inflated prices now coming down, expect more movement and fewer rumours. Gonzo’s earlier piece regarding Jota Silva is another sign that the sales market is finally becoming more realistic.
