West Ham in trouble if they accept Mohamed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen bids – pundit
David Sullivan has been told he must be active for West Ham in the transfer market after Lucas Paqueta’s betting charges dealt Julen Lopetegui an early blow.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson insisted the Hammers must retain their best players while strengthening in attack to balance out the possible loss of Pauqeta.
After the 26-year-old was charged with breaches of the FA’s betting rules, Football Insider was told the charges were “disastrous news” for the Hammers, and he could be banned from football altogether.
As a result, Robinson has demanded Sullivan ensure the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus remain at the London Stadium and allow Lopetegui to sign his own targets.
David Sullivan told what he must do at West Ham after Paqueta blow
Football Insider reported on 1 June that the Hammers will look to sign a striker and a winger after the Paqueta news emerged with Paqueta replacements in their sights.
Robinson, meanwhile, insisted Lopetegui must be backed, with his priority to keep hold of their star players while growing and building for the new boss.
“David Sullivan has got to back Lopetegui,” he told Football Insider.
“They’ve replaced David Moyes and moved in a new direction, you can’t just expect the new manager to come in and work with what’s there.
“If they want the new manager to change the style and do something differently, you have to back him in areas he wants.
“The important thing is keeping players like Kudus, Bowen and Ward-Prowse at the club. It’s about retaining those players.
“The elephant in the room is Paqueta. We don’t know what’s going to happen with him. You look at what happened to Tonali and how long he got banned for.
“You wonder when that’s coming. They’re going to have to reinforce and invest in those positions because they could lose him.
“Keep Bowen and Kudus, then arm your manager with players he wants.”
In other news, the Hammers are ready to sell a goalkeeper after signing Wes Foderingham.
For more West Ham and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.