Jesse Lingard won’t be joining West Ham United this summer as there is thought to be a disagreement over money between the two parties.
That is the verdict of pundit and West Ham fan Frank McAvennie, who provided his viewpoint on whether the Manchester United academy graduate will be returning to east London for next season.
The 29-year-old is coming into the final weeks of his United contract, and the Red Devils have already confirmed the player will be finally departing Old Trafford after nearly 14 years at the club.
Having successfully spent the second half of the 2020/21 campaign on loan at the Hammers, the Irons are thought to be interested in bringing Lingard to east London again permanently.
The Irons’ attempts to land the attacking midfielder at the start of the campaign proved unsuccessful and tried a second time in the January window, but a deal failed to materialise.
Speaking to West Ham Zone, McAvennie provided his thoughts on the situation.
He said: “I don’t know if Lingard is going to come in.
“Someone has told me he’s arguing over money or something.
“I wouldn’t be too disappointed if we didn’t get Lingard. Because he left West Ham to go and sit in the stands. I don’t like that, it doesn’t sit right for me.
“There might be some constraints that we don’t know about, and if that’s the case then… but there’s a lot of money being asked for him.
“But listen, David [Moyes] knows better than I do. I’m not going to argue with David Moyes because it’s one of them.”
TIF Thoughts on McAvennie’s comments…
The pundit’s comments could indeed come as a huge blow to the Hammers faithful considering the impact the £18m-rated ace brought to the London Stadium last year, and also the potential at which he could make a crucial impact as the club build on their stunning 2021/22 progress next term.
Last year, the Warrington-born attacker, who was described as ‘amazing’ by Rio Ferdinand last season, scored nine goals and made five assists in 16 appearances while on loan in the capital, and his career resurgence saw him return to the England national team setup for the first time in almost two years.
The Hammers are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements this summer as David Moyes plans another assault on European football next season, so adding Lingard would represent the perfect way to kick off that rebuild.
On a free deal, it could be a move worth initially exploring, but if the player’s demands or finalising a transfer proves too tricky, we believe the Irons shouldn’t hesitate in moving on to other targets.