da doce： West Ham United are reportedly still keen on the permanent signing of Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek, according to Football.London.
What does the report say?
da pinup bet： Soucek joined West Ham on loan from Slavia Prague in January and made four appearances before the suspension of the season.
According to Football.London, the club are keen on making this deal permanent for around £16.9m, although this will leave the Hammers with little money to spend elsewhere.
In three Premier League starts, the 25-year-old defensive midfielder has averaged two tackles, two interceptions and three clearances per match and the club are said to have been impressed with his impact.
However, given the financial situation that is likely to affect plenty of football clubs this summer, £16.9m is likely to take up much of the club’s summer budget.
New trends
With clubs likely to have less money than ever before, free transfers and loan deals are set to become commonplace.
The Hammers know they have wasted too much in transfer fees in recent seasons and with big names like Andriy Yarmolenko, Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller struggling to show their best on a consistent basis, it will be interesting to show how a change of strategy might work.
Of course, maintaining their Premier League status remains their priority, but with an eye on the summer, they will have to start identifying young talent more effectively than they have in the past.