West Ham Transfer Plans Could be Scuppered Due To Brexit

Now Brexit is finally done it will have lots of ramifications for the country even West Ham will have their transfer plans affected by the new rules.

After the successful transfers of Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, it had been predicted that West Ham would return to SK Slavia Prague for more of their talent. The Hammers had been linked with players such as Abdallah Sima, Lukáš Masopust, Ondřej Kolář and former Prague midfielder Alex Kral.

Clubs used to be able to sign players from Europe as if they were signing them from within the United Kingdom. The Hammer’s plans to raid the Czech team could be made harder due to the new rules the FA have introduced on English football teams. Players signed from Europe will now have to reach 15 points in order to qualify for a work permit.

The Czech First League is categorised in Band 4 the same as the Swiss League and the second divisions in Germany and Spain. This means that players from this band will receive fewer points than those in Bands 1,2 and 3, making it harder for them to qualify for British work permits.

One transfer that will be harder for West Ham to make a reality is a move for highly-rated striker Abdallah Sima. The Senegalese forward is yet to play international and has only broken into the first team at SK Slavia Prague this season. Due to Sima being a relative newcomer he could find it difficult reaching the 15 points required to qualify.

On the other hand, a move for goalkeeper and reported target Ondřej Kolář could be slightly more possible. The keeper has played for longer and more consistently earning him more points. The fact Kolář has played for the Czech Republic national side does help his case, though he has only played once will not earn him any more points.

Kolář’s international cap could help the Hammer’s appeal a decision rejecting any potential work permit rejection. The club could suggest that the keeper is an ‘exceptional talent’ which could see a work permit awarded.

This same argument could be used for Sima. It is less likely to be accepted due to the lack of the striker’s experience. These difficulties could mean that the club decides to look into David Moyes’ original transfer plans.

When Moyes rejoined the club the manager wanted to look down the English leagues for up and coming talent. The Hammers have a good record of signing players from the Championship. The club have found stars such as Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Craig Dawson who are all currently in the first-team.

The issue with this tactic is there is certainly going to be a rise in prices on the talent that is British and has already qualified for work permits. As West Ham don’t enjoy being the biggest spenders it will be harder for the club to improve the team via transfers.