The Athletic have dropped a worrying update on West Ham target Joe Worrall...
What's the talk?
The Athletic's Paul Taylor has dropped a concerning update for West Ham in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall. The Hammers are reportedly keen on signing the English defender this summer, but he does not appear to be in any rush to leave the Championship outfit.
In a Q&A this week, Taylor revealed that Worrall is not demanding to leave Forest and the club will only cash in on him if the right offer comes in for his services. The Athletic reported earlier this summer that it would take a fee of £10m, paid largely upfront, to prize him away.
"A few weeks ago, the answer to this would have been a definite yes. Now it does not feel 100 per cent certain. You still get the sense that, if the right offer comes along, Forest will give serious thought to selling — but it would have to be the right offer.
They have already turned down offers for Brennan Johnson, although they were at a low level and the suggestion is that Joe Worrall is not kicking down doors demanding to be given the opportunity to move."
Moyes will be gutted
David Moyes will be gutted by this latest update as it could negatively impact West Ham's chances of being able to land Worrall this summer. If the Englishman is not willing to push for a transfer away from the City Ground then the Hammers will not be able to negotiate a better deal with Forest as they will be unable to use the threat of them keeping an unhappy player. This news seemingly shows Forest that they can keep Worrall at the club without him kicking up a fuss, which could allow them to be tough in negotiations.
The Hammers have an ageing group of central defenders at the club. Issa Diop is Moyes' only option in that area of the pitch who is below the age of 29, with Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson in their 30's and Fabian Balbuena turning 30 next month. Therefore, signing a talented young centre-back, like Worrall, could be a shrewd piece of business by the club.
He only turned 24 back in January and could add some much-needed youth to the ranks. However, despite his young age, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard once hailed Worrall as a “leader” during his time on loan in Scotland and claimed that he will captain any team he plays for in the future.
"He will be a captain of whatever team he plays for."
“He is a leader and he stepped up today."
This goes some way to showing that Worrall has the mentality and quality to come into the London Stadium and be a good addition to Moyes' squad and that is why the Scot will be disappointed by this update.
Hopefully, the situation changes between now and the end of the window and the club are able to snap him up for a reasonable price.
AND in other news, Moyes must act swiftly to land “explosive” goal machine, West Ham fans would love him...