West Ham transfers: Seven signings mooted as Hammers use £105m Rice haul to give Moyes mega lift
Amadou Onana and Lucas Paqueta battle as West Ham face Everton
West Ham Rice are reportedly looking at seven potential signings as they look to reinvest their incoming £105million haul from the sale of skipper Declan Rice to Arsenal.
Reports emerged on Wednesday evening that the two London rivals have agreed to a transfer of the England man, although how the deal will be structured still needs trashing out between the clubs.
It follows a third bid from the Gunners to snatch the 24-year-old from the grasp of Premier League rivals Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s men had made a £90m bid of their own on Tuesday but after that was rejected, City officially pulled out of the running to leave the way clear for Arsenal to strike.
But with £105m on the way into the club’s coffers, depending on how the deal is structured, the Daily Mirror has revealed seven players that are all on David Moyes’ radar to offset the loss of West Ham’s best player.
Firstly, they claim that Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, who was on loan at Chelsea last term, is a strong possibility.
The Italian giants are willing to offload the Switzerland international, who it’s fair to say underwhelmed at Stamford Bridge last season.
The Mirror adds that Moyes is likely to want two central midfielders on board, such was Rice’s influence to his engine room.
To that end, the Hammers could pay around £50m to get Everton’s Amadou Onana, who was on their transfer hit list last summer.
Onana was one of the few success stories as the Toffees fought against relegation last season but, given their current financial situation, it’s thought that the Merseysiders are open to a sale to balance the books.
Another player on the club’s radar is Fulham star Joao Palhinha, although the price of the Cottagers midfielder has rocketed after an excellent debut campaign.
Moyes still monitoring experienced quartet
West Ham have also been looking at Kalvin Phillips, Harry Maguire, James Ward-Prowse and Harvey Barnes as they look to spend the Rice cash wisely.
That quartet certainly has an immense amount of Premier League experience between them and it’s no great surprise that Moyes is factoring that in when looking at new additions to his squad.
And while Rice has earned legendary status with the Hammers, particularly after lifting the Europa Conference League trophy last season, it’s now how they spend the huge fee the club is recouping that could end up becoming his legacy.
To that end, Moyes does not want to make the same mistake Tottenham did many years ago when they wasted their Gareth Bale haul on a number of players from other countries, many of whom struggled and were moved on quite quickly.
The Scot wants proven Premier League performers to ensure the club do not become embroiled in another relegation scrap in the upcoming campaign.
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