West Ham miss out on Declan Rice replacement, eyes now on Fulham star

West Ham United desprately need to strengthen their squad for next season. Granted, they ended up having a great season after winning the Europa Conference League final and the players should rightfully celebrating. However, given the sparsity of their depth and with players reported to be on the way out, David Moyes must receive backing if they are to replicate their successes next season.

The two primary positions which need strengthening are the acquisition of a new striker and holding midfielder. This is because Declan Rice, Michail Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca are likely to be on their way out.

But fear not in the midfield position, because the West Ham recruitment team are hard at work and have shortlisted three replacements for Declan Rice. Those include Edson Alvarez, Joao Palhinha and James Ward-Prowse.

West Ham United will miss out on Edson Alvarez

Given Ajax’s hefty £40m (plus £5m add ons) valuation of Edson Alvarez, this is something which West Ham cannot compete with. Therefore, Borussia Dortmund have become the front-runners to get this deal over the line, leaving David Moyes with limited options.

However, according to the Guardian, this has given a new lease of life to West Ham’s pursuit for Joao Palhinha. What’s ironic is that Palhinha is probably going to be more expensive than Alvarez, with the Guardian claiming Fulham will demand around £50m (a £30m profit from when they signed him originally).

However, given his defensive superiority and Premier League experience, Palhinha makes more sense to come in and fill the boots of Declan Rice. He would take little time to adjust and be the perfect addition to David Moyes’ growing project. In my opinion, if West Ham are to throw their cash at any player, it has to be Palhinha.

Who do you think West Ham will sign this summer?