da bwin： According to reports in The Mirror, West Ham United could be ready to sell some of their top young players to fund January signings for new boss David Moyes.
What’s the word, then?
da doce： Well, The Mirror says that Moyes is already eyeing up potential additions in the New Year as he looks to ensure that the Irons avoid being involved in a relegation battle in the second-half of the campaign, and a number of their youngsters are in demand.
The Mirror says that Declan Rice – who has broken into the first-team reckoning this season – is seen as a big prospect and is a potential target for Arsenal, while Josh Cullen and Reece Burke are both impressing out on loan at Championship side Bolton Wanderers.
The report adds that Borussia Monchengladbach loanee Reece Oxford and Domingos Quina could also be attracting interest, and while the east London outfit would be reluctant to sell they are in a relegation battle and could cash in to raise funds in their battle to beat the drop.
Is this really true?
It’s difficult to say.
While you would expect the West Ham board to give Moyes some decent money to strengthen his squad in the New Year without having to sell, you would also be unsurprised if they didn’t considering some of the things that have happened in the past during their tenure.
The loss of Rice would certainly be a particularly shocking one for the supporters considering the impact he has made this season – the 18-year-old has made eight first-team appearances – while Oxford is still the same age as Rice even though he failed to build on making his breakthrough two years ago.
The departures of Cullen, Burke and Quina would potentially be less surprising, but seeing as they haven’t really been given an opportunity it would also be slightly unfair on them.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, while Moyes will be keen to strengthen his squad in the January window he will already be well aware that he wasn’t the most popular appointment among the fans.
Selling some of the club’s best young players certainly wouldn’t go any way to strengthening that relationship, and the Scot must demand funds from the board to avoid that potentially angry situation.