West Ham are looking to bolster their defence in January by signing Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles.
Nuno Espirito Santo is aware that his side are struggling to prevent teams from scoring, and the solution could be making quality signings in this transfer window.
Lascelles could leave Newcastle amid links to West Ham, but thus far, no official move has been launched for him.
Lascelles’ signing would be a waste of money and guarantee relegation for West Ham…
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David Sullivan may need to open his chequebook to bring Jamaal Lascelles to the London Stadium
David Sullivan is aware of how costly relegation would be and knows that spending big in January would be nothing in comparison to missing out on Premier League revenue for next season.
He has already sanctioned moves for Pablo and Taty Castellanos, which have cost the Hammers approximately £47million combined.
The West Ham owner will be aware of how lacklustre the team’s backline is, and if Nuno and the board believe that Lascelles could help them in their fight against relegation, he may need to open his chequebook to bring him to the London Stadium.
This is shocking! 😰 Relegation is going to be dire for West Ham…
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As the 32-year-old’s contract at St. James’ Park runs out in the summer, he is not expected to be an expensive signing in January.
In terms of his wages, Capology claim that he is earning £50k/week at Newcastle and is expected to demand roughly the same if he joins West Ham.
There could be a 20 per cent increase written into his contract if the Hammers avoid relegation – a deal that would benefit all parties.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesRed flags West Ham need to consider before signing Lascelles
At 32, Lascelles is certainly not one for the long term, but there are doubts about whether or not he would be a good short-term fix either.
He has played only 19 minutes of Premier League football this season, so there will be sluggishness that he would need to get rid of.
Apart from that, he has missed several games this term due to a muscle injury, so doubts remain over whether or not he would be able to play week in and week out.
As the Hammers are a side that spend most of the game without the ball, Lascelles would have far more to do than he would in comparison to a team that dominates possession, which is another factor to consider.
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