‘West Ham don’t have the money’ to meet Nketiah’s asking price after approach made – pundit
West Ham United do not have the finances to pull off a move for reported target Eddie Nketiah in January.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson claimed that the Arsenal striker was “unproven” and questioned if he is the man the Hammers need.
As revealed by Football Insider (24 December), Arsenal do not want to let Nketiah go and would only do so for a fee of around £40million.
Crystal Palace have had an enquiry for Nketiah rejected by Arsenal, although the north London club’s stance could change later in the window.
Natural winger Jarrod Bowen has successfully taken the spot at centre-forward at the London Stadium in Michail Antonio’s absence, but Football Insider revealed earlier this month (15 December) that a striker is West Ham’s priority in January.
Nketiah has bagged five goals in the Premier League this season but returned to the bench after Gabriel Jesus came back from injury.
Robinson is adamant that the Irons’ current attacking talent is more than enough for David Moyes’ sixth-place outfit and warned against a costly move for Nketiah.
“I can’t see Arsenal wanting to do business for Nketiah in January,” he told Football Insider.
“I can’t see West Ham having the funds to push it through.
“You look at the money they got for Declan Rice and the way they’ve spent it.
“With Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta – their front four is excellent going forward.
“You could argue that they need that 20-goal-a-season man that they’re missing as the focal point, but Jarrod Bowen is playing there and he’s up there with the league’s top scorers.
“So is Nketiah the man they need?
“If you’re going to have to pay the price that they would need to Arsenal, which I think they don’t have the money for, but if you’re going to pay that then you need to guarantee goals.
“With Nketiah, it’s unproven.”
In other news, Sources: West Ham 28-yr-old expected to leave in Jan – due to Mohammed Kudus.