West Ham’s Reece Burke expected to join Bolton Wanderers
West Ham expect youngster Reece Burke to go out on loan to Bolton Wanderers.
Bolton have been promoted to the Championship for this season and are strengthening their squad. With first team chances at West Ham limited, it is expected a number of youngsters will go out on loan. Reece Oxford has already moved to Borussia Monchengladbach and Burke himself is no stranger to a loan.
After a few loans last season went worse than expected, the Hammers are prioritizing gametime for their players that they are sending out. Whilst quality is an issue, giving them maximum professional time on the pitch is the priority.
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One Loan Too Many?
Some fans feel that continuing to loan a player out is bad form. Once the player has done a few, surely it’s time to either promote him full time or let him go? A player can only be thrown around so much before he gets irritated and wants to leave?
My instinct is that Burke still needs better gametime before being allowed a spot in the first team squad. As a defender it is hard to really get to grips with the Premier League from the off, as every mistake is punished. As a striker it’s less of a risk, but in defence you want to make sure a player is ready.
If Burke was played in the Premier League before fully up to pace it could kill his confidence. Plus if Bilic still thinks he has room to improve, as a fellow centreback, who are we to disagree? Keeping a player on loan makes sense if you don’t want to sell him permanently but want him for the future.
Next: Will Theo Walcott join West Ham?
Burke could still be a great player for West Ham, but he must take his time. Prove you are good enough, come back and do yourself justice in Claret and Blue. I still think he has the makings of a really solid player for years to come.