West Ham dealt new blow in pursuit of PL goal machine – report
By Matt Farr
In a further blow to their January transfer aspirations, West Ham appear to have fallen even further behind in the race to land Hull goal sensation Robert Snodgrass, according to a report.
Sky Sports reported in their live transfer centre blog on Wednesday morning (10:49am) that Burnley were leading the race to sign the prolific 29-year-old winger, after having a £10million bid accepted.
However, the Teesside Gazette have since reported that Hull have also accepted a bid from Middlesbrough, which has left West Ham trailing in their wake of both their Premier League rivals.
The Gazette doesn’t say how much the Middlesbrough offer was, but did report that the player is keen to talk personal terms with the club.
One sticking point could be that Hull and Middlesbrough are relegation rivals though, and it was reported that Hull would prefer to sell to Burnley.
The east London club are still believed to be in contention to sign Snodgrass this month, after the deputy sports editor for the Guardian, Ed Aarons claimed on Twitter that West Ham were still in contention.
With Hull and Middlesbrough now in firm control of the transfer saga however, it appears that the Hammers have now slipped to third in a two-horse race; which could come as a devastating blow to their transfer window ambitions.
Slaven Bilic has yet to add to his attacking options this month, having made it a priority at the start of the transfer window, but he will need to act fast if he is to ensure Snodgrass is a Hammers player in a week’s time.
The Croatian boss has already seen two bids for his services knocked back by Hull this month, the last one reported to have been £6million rising to £7.5million with add-ons.
The midfield goal machine has contributed nine goals and four assists from 24 appearances for the Tigers this season, but is certain to leave the KCOM Stadium as the transfer window nears its climax.
Football Insider verdict
West Ham would be daft to turn down the opportunity to land Snodgrass. He could make a real difference for the club in the attacking-third, and they should be doing a lot more in an attempt to bring him to the club. It is now clear what Hull are prepared to sell him for, but having failed to improve their last bid, it seems as though West Ham do not feel he is worth that much. However, aside from Michail Antonio, no player in the West Ham squad can match the winger for his contribution in front of goal this season; and while he would be a substantial goal-threat of his own, his ability to create chances could see him bring the best out of target-man Andy Carroll. As it stands, Snodgrass is destined for another club in the same predicament as Hull, and West Ham should realistically be looking to offer him a shot at a top-ten finish – not a relegation scrap.
In other West Ham transfer news, the club appear to have lost out in a bid to sign this other midfield target.
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