West Ham United are expected to be busy in the ongoing transfer window as they seek some more additions to their squad. The Hammers are still lingering in the bottom half of the Premier League standings and need a couple of more signings if they are to justify their summer purchases and finish higher up in the table.
One of the players they were looking at was Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who has been unable to find a spot in Enzo Maresca’s plans. The Blues had set an asking price of £40 million for the attacking midfielder which was proving to be a deterrent in West Ham’s pursuit of their preferred target for the winter.
Football London has reported that Chelsea’s stance has now been eased as they are willing to let go of Chukwuemeka on loan this month. The 21-year-old’s availability on a temporary deal comes as a huge boost for West Ham considering their hands were tied after an expensive summer revamp and any transfer in January would have to be a low-cost acquisition.
A potential wildcard for West Ham
It is hard to see Carney Chukwuemeka finding a way back into Chelsea’s main starting eleven with the Blues heavily investing on the likes of Joao Felix and Pedro Neto some months ago. That said, a loan to West Ham could still work superbly in favour of all parties concerned, not least for West Ham, who need some quality up top.
The Hammers would have landed a player that will be hungry to prove a minute, especially keeping in mind that his future could be up in the air in the summer with a more realistic chance of reaching a resolution. With Carlos Soler and James Ward-Prowse struggling to be impactful, Chukwuemeka’s addition as a number 10 could be a helpful one.
Chelsea will also hope that the next six months prove to be productive for their young star as it would put them in a better position to demand a decent asking price following the conclusion of the season. It will be interesting to see how Chukwuemeka does at London Stadium given that the possibility of a loan has significantly upped West Ham’s chances of signing him.
