Even though they’ve just won their first European trophy since 1965 and first major trophy of any description since 1980, this summer could still be a fraught one for West Ham.
Club captain, Declan Rice, whose final act as a Hammers player seems to have been the raising of the Europa Conference League trophy, is almost certain to leave the club, whilst it’s understood (via Gazzetta dello Sport) that Gianluca Scamacca wants a return to Italy.
Though David Moyes could legitimately argue that the Italian has flopped at the London Stadium and any money that the club get for him is a bonus, the loss of Rice is huge for the east Londoners.
With West Ham having already turned down two bids from Arsenal for Rice, it’s clear that they’re not going to be rolled over when it comes to a sale price.
That money, if chairman David Sullivan allows Moyes to reinvest it in the playing squad, could go some way to giving the team some real strength in depth, which is something that the Hammers have generally struggled to achieve over the years.
The Scot won’t want any other big names to leave, however, Claret and Hugh note that Lucas Paqueta has recently changed agents, and they suggest that there is a worry such a power move could lead to the Brazilian making the same decision as Scamacca.
The Italian barely played once he changed agents say Claret and Hugh, hence their concerns.