West Ham United could be swayed into moving for an "exceptional" rival player as technical director Tim Steidten's plans begin to take shape.
Pressure eases on Moyes after back-to-back West Ham wins
A lot of the noise in east London has centered around manager David Moyes and his future, with the Scotsman's contract expiring at the end of this season.
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The Hammers began 2024 on a long winless streak, but Moyes has since rectified that poor form, with West Ham winning back-to-back league games for the first time in what feels like an eternity.
Moyes' future is still uncertain at West Ham, but the pressure has somewhat eased on his position. If they can go on an impressive Europa League run, and maintain a solid run of form domestically, perhaps supporters could see the 60-year-old in charge for another campaign or two.
Freiburg (away)
March 7th
Burnley (home)
March 10th
Freiburg (home)
March 14th
Aston Villa (home)
March 17th
In the meantime, technical director Tim Steidten will also be deciding how best to strengthen the West Ham squad this summer. They're arguably in real need of a striker and new left-winger, so perhaps that is something the German will be looking into.
They've also been linked with Championship stars like Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney in recent weeks, and another position which could require attention soon is the goalkeeping department.
While Alphonse Areola has been solid between the sticks, he's also not getting any younger, with back up Lukasz Fabianski also now 38 and out of contract next year.
West Ham may be tempted to bid for Ramsdale
One interesting upgrade option has been mooted in the press now, and that's out-of-favour Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Indeed, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, West Ham signing Ramsdale could "develop" and the club could be "tempted" to bid.
"That's why I think that something might develop with West Ham, we'll have to wait and see, of course. 30/31/32 is not necessarily as old compared to a player for a goalkeeper. And that's why West Ham are kind of happy enough with Areola and Fabianski."
Despite being usurped by David Raya, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has still praised the Englishman for his "exceptional" attitude: “He’s been exceptional around the place with the situation. Like everybody,” he said. “We love him more for sure. We have him every day. We know him, we know his character and we are really happy to have him.
“I don’t think I’m the one to answer the question about Aaron Ramsdale’s quality because I’m the one who signed him when everyone else was questioning that decision. So I don’t think I’m the one to answer that question."