The problem with writing a column every single day is not only is it time consuming but it opens you up to even more stick. There will be some days when there isn’t much news to talk about. This does not mean I am waiting for another source to tweet it or that sometimes my columns may not “contain any new information”. Our site prides itself on reliable and accurate news. We do not make stories up for the sake of hits, we tell the facts as they are. I will therefore not break with what the site stands for and just make things up for the sake of a story. This column responds to the tweets and news that is ALREADY out there. I am not claiming the news as my own, I am answering the rumours with what I know.
Rumour One: We have accepted a £50m-£60m bid for Payet from Madrid. (Or that his agent has met with Madrid officials).
This is not true. There has been no bid lodged for the player. As I have said a number of times in my articles Madrid are keen. Zidane is a big fan and of course Payet idolises Zidane so there is an obvious attraction for both parties. This however does not mean that Payet will go. David Sullivan does not want to sell the player and wants to keep him regardless of the cost. Payet is at the Euros and is concentrating on that. He is not seeking a move or instructing his agent to do so. At the moment the story is an easy one for the journalists to write and get many hits off.
Rumour Two: Lacazette will not be joining the club. This at the moment is true. This is something that I reported in my column yesterday evening and of course many sites have claimed it as their exclusive today. The problem is that Lyon are playing games with the price and keep raising it and it isn’t clear that Lacazette wants to join either. He is a Lyon boy and they play Champions League football, and we cannot offer either of those. This doesn’t mean that the deal is dead because I always think that DS can convince anyone or any club but for the time being it is.
Rumour Three: We have submitted a £30m offer for Batshuayi of Marseille. If you had asked me at the start when all this talk of a 20 goal a season forward came out I would have said it will be Batshuayi and I probably did tweet that. There was and is definite interest in the forward but Lacazette was the first choice. There were no smokescreens, no hidden tactics – the bottom line is the club thought Lacazette proved himself all season whereas Batshuayi faded off. So the club wanted the Lyon forward. This doesn’t look like happening and so attention has been switched elsewhere. Batshuayi could well emerge as the top target and we could try and persuade him not to join Spurs by promising him more game time. The club were so keen to sign him they explored options with investing in Marseille back in January but this was not possible. The interest then faded as Minchy’s form did. The situation with Lacazette could prompt a move but I don’t think a bid has gone in yet. Even if it doesn’t come off it makes a point to Lyon to show that we are prepared to look elsewhere. The fanzine and my last few transfer columns have spelt out other targets.
Rumour Four: What is happening with Tore and Hutchinson? No change from yesterday’s column. We want both players. Their club know this so they are holding out for as much as they can get.
Rumour Five: Are you sure you are correct about Slav not wanting a Right Back? I could tell you he does want a right back (which is not true). This is what everyone wants to hear and this is a tactic being employed elsewhere for hits. Unfortunately as the Informer has confirmed Slav believes Antonio is a great fullback and that Byram will be too.
Rumour Six: Which players will leave? The West Ham Way has been all over this all summer. The biggest names are likely to be Sakho, Valencia, Obiang and Tomkins, although none are certain to leave. This was also confirmed by the Informer today.
Rumour Seven: Perisic to join? Being Croatian, Slav obviously knows of him. He is at the Euros and a move for him will not be discussed until his involvement in the tournament has ended. At the moment there are a lot of clubs interested and I do not think he is a likely option at this stage.
This is my understanding of the transfers at the end of the 21st June. These transfer situations can change before I get to speak to my sources. I work 8am-5:30pm and then run my own business outside these hours. I do not have time to speak to my sources every minute of every day but I will continue to update you as and when I get the news. The daily round up will continue.
Love this, read it everyday and it saves me having to read the numerous false stories that are available everywhere else! Thanks for taking the time to source and write up the information I for one really appreciate it!
Good to read your comments and for your truthfulness regarding the comings and goings of certain players. Keep up the good work
Hear, hear! This is the best column out there and any dicks who criticise it should just stop reading it so that the rest of us can enjoy it.
Thanks for all your hard work. Much appreciated.
Love these columns and your tweets. Have followed you from the beginning. The only decent place to get real news. Don’t know how you make the time for all this!
Cheers ex legend
Thanks mate, for keeping us informed.
Good work, keep the faith with your principles. This is the best place for West Ham information. 🙂
Thanks for putting so much effort into this column. It is very much appreciated.