Free agent Jesse Lingard has been training with West Ham for a few weeks, with a view to earning a contract at the east London outfit.
It now appears he could be on the verge of getting exactly what he wants, though Hammers manager, David Moyes, wants assurances before he gives a green light to any deal going through.
After what was arguably a disappointing campaign for the player at Nottingham Forest, Moyes is hedging his bets.
Lingard is far from the player that enjoyed a brilliant loan campaign at the London Stadium back in 2021, so if he is to pull on the claret and blue again, there’s a clear need for him to prove that he’s still got what it takes to affect games in the way he did two years ago.
Particularly given how well the Hammers have begun the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
According to the Daily Mail, Moyes needs to be convinced of the player’s commitment to the cause, and to that end, it’s believed that if any deal is going to be put on the table, it will be an incentivised deal for the season.
That way, it’s a win win for the club. It ensures that Lingard has to perform to the best of his abilities week in and week out.
If he can get anywhere close to the player he was in 2021, then West Ham will have another real asset on their books.