West Ham to re-sign Jesse Lingard on loan in deadline day twist
By Alex Smith
West Ham could be set to re-sign Jesse Lingard on loan from Man United on deadline day.
Hammers boss David Moyes is a huge fan of the attacking midfielder that had such a sensational impact when he signed for West Ham last January on another six month loan deal.
Lingard met with Man United manager, Ralf Rangnick, this morning and the German is happy to let Lingard leave the club as the player is keen to play regular first-team football in the hope of making the England squad for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
West Ham could bring Man United’s Jesse Lingard back to East London on loan until the end of the season in an unexpected deadline day move.
According to the reliable David Ornstein of The Athletic, Lingard is keen to leave Old Trafford having failed to make a Premier League start this season. It was thought that the 29-year-old wanted to stay with his home town club however, he was simply not being allowed to leave by the United board.
Newcastle could also make an attempt to sign Lingard but the attacking midfielder much prefers a move back to West Ham after the successes of last season as he helped guide the club to qualification for the Europa League by finishing 6th in the Premier League. On a personal level, Moyes got the best from him too and he was adored by his teammates and the West Ham supporters, but few ever got to see him play live in claret and blue due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Additionally, last season saw Lingard work his way back into the England squad and win a Premier League player of the month award in April. When he left West Ham at the end of the last campaign Lingard registered nine goals (more goals than he ever managed in one season at Man United) and four assists.
Consequently, this made West Ham keen to bring him back over the summer transfer window and with Lingard’s contract expiring at the end of this season there was much optimism a deal could be done. However, the United board again prevented a move away holding out for a fee of around £20 million that was deemed too much by Moyes.
Despite coming back to London Stadium to punish the Hammers as he scored a late winner in West Ham’s 1-2 defeat to the Red Devils earlier this year, Lingard’s possible return has been greeted by much enthusiasm despite him not being the striker the supporters had been hoping for.
West Ham fans have been crying out for a striker in this January window in order to have someone to compete and share the goalscoring burden with Michail Antonio. A bid has gone in for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez but a deal at this late stage for a possible £50 million is unlikely. Instead of a centre-forward, West Ham could sign Lingard then choose to use the on fire Jarrod Bowen in the striker position or possibly Lingard himself as a false nine, something Moyes did at times last season.
At the moment, he looks set to be the only incoming player on deadline day with a deal for centre-back Duje Caleta-Car not close to being completed. Young right-back Harrison Ashby could leave the club on loan to join Championship side Hull City, that is set to be the only departure despite West Ham keen to offload some more players if the right offer came in for certain stars.