Many players could leave West Ham in January, as manager David Moyes plans to make a mid-season turnaround following the transfer of Thilo Kehrer to Monaco.
West Ham could sell with a view to buying this month:
Kehrer is due to travel to the Ligue 1 club for a medical on Thursday. The Germany international is expected to join them on loan with a mandatory buy-out clause.
The 27-year-old has struggled for playing time under Moyes this season and Kehrer’s departure could suit all parties as West Ham would have to sell surplus players before signing their own contracts. ExWHUemployee, a reliable insider at the club, revealed at the end of last year that West Ham have a limited January budget.
“I have spoken to the person who could best answer the question about our January transfer budget,” said Ex.
“I was told that we are struggling financially in the context of financial fair play. We have overspent in 2021 and we have to be careful not to ‘do an Everton’.
“So although there is money in the bank, it is not a huge amount because the club is understandably cautious. We only have to look at the situation at Everton, Man City and Chelsea to know how serious it can be if we don’t keep within the parameters.”
That’s why the exits at the London Stadium this month could be crucial to raising much-needed funds. Danny Ings, Ben Johnson, Conor Coventry, Said Benrahma and even Nayef Aguerd have all been linked with departures at various points this month.
Journalist Dean Jones, who shared the latest information on Benrahma, believes he could be one of the main candidates to leave West Ham.
Benrahma is attracting a lot of interest
According to a journalist who spoke to GiveMeSport this week, Benrahma could leave West Ham and is highly sought after – clubs from France, Saudi Arabia and possibly England have made themselves aware of his potential availability.
“To be honest, Benrahma will not be able to play at West Ham. It’s not going to happen for him. There have been plenty of opportunities for that to happen but it hasn’t happened,” Jones said.
“I just don’t see the benefit of him being at the club. From what I know, there are quite a few people interested in him, not just Lyon.
“I know there are a few other teams in France interested in him and there has been interest from the Saudi side. To be honest, there will probably be interest in the Premier League too if they start advertising him. In January, three or four players will definitely leave West Ham.”
Despite his attacking flair, the Algerian international has started only five games in the Premier League this season. Former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie described Benrahma as a “wonderful talent”, but it seems he would be best suited to a move elsewhere.