QPR Said No, Then Yes Maybe To Irons, Why?

West Ham United do like a protracted transfer situation, it is one of the reasons the Press adores the club, never a dull moment and always good for a 'throw away' line. Think of some of the past seasons' transfer fiascos, Gomez, Bacca etc, so any attempted deal to bring QPR's Eze Eberechi to the London Stadium was always going to be drawn out, and thus it appears.

The proposed and desired on off move has been subject to an awful lot of media attention, who have speculated three different destinations for the talented 22 year old Eberechi, this is just what QPR wanted with London clubs Crystal Palace and newly promoted Fulham vying with West Ham for the players signature.

Initially it seemed as if Hammers had the edge over the competition based on the fact that Jordan Hugill had been on a successful loan spell at Loftus Road, it was thought he could be used as a makeweight in the deal which would have left Hammers with possibly an extra £10 Million to pay. Unfortunately as often happens in these situations, prior wage agreements can become stumbling blocks and that was the case with Jordan Hugill, his £38,000 wages were just too rich for QPR to facilitate, whereas his final destination newly relegated Norwich City, with their 'parachute' payments, were happy to stump up the cash.

It is now being suggested that QPR 'covet' Josh Cullen who enjoyed a relatively successful spell on loan at Charlton, his wages are not such an issue and he could possibly be the ideal player to use in part exchange for Eze Eberechi. Cullen is 24 years old and realistically has a horde of talented players ahead of him in the pecking order at West Ham, so a move would suit the Republic of Ireland player and the West London outfit. The clincher is that Cullen is currently only receiving £10,000 per week, which is less than 1/3 of what Hugill was receiving so a deal might yet still happen, although it is becoming increasingly obvious that the Irons are now having to pay for the 'Pelligrinophile's' profligacy' which involves having to stand by and watch teams like Villa, Watford and Leeds blow the club out of the water when it comes to bidding for players that become available.

As with many aspects of life, sometimes things have to get a lot worse before they can get better, hopefully West Ham's ill fortune and propensity for making costly mistakes has bottomed out and the club can move forward, albeit with an insanely low, bordering on non existent, transfer budget. - Ed