A close confidant of majority owner David Sullivan has made a seriously exciting triple West Ham signing claim.
When it became clear West Ham were going to appoint Julen Lopetegui, many fans were not overly convinced.
Some Hammers fans were also concerned given the Spaniard was out of work last season after walking out on Wolves on the eve of the campaign.
As the reasons for that walk out have become clear to supporters, though, many have taken great comfort in it.
It’s pretty rare for managers to walk out on jobs nowadays given the size of their contracts and what it might do for their reputation.
As reported by those with greater knowledge of the situation such as Guillem Balague, Lopetegui left Wolves due to broken promises over transfers and ambition.
So West Ham fans believe the fact he has taken the Hammers job suggests the club will indeed be investing in the team.
Lopetegui to drive up investment
It is certainly needed.
Lopetegui will have just 16 or 17 players depending on whether Aaron Cresswell stays for another year.
So eight or nine signings will be required to rebuild this West Ham side.
That won’t be easy, or cheap. Lopetegui will want his squad in place as soon as possible so he can get his ideas across in pre-season.
The last thing the Hammers want is a repeat of windows of the past where they are waiting until late in the window to do their business.
Some cynical supporters insist they won’t believe the owners are serious about investing in the team until they see it.
The transfer window opens for domestic transfers on June 14th before the international window on July 1st.
Now a David Sullivan confidant has made a seriously exciting triple West Ham signing claim.
Sullivan confidant’s seriously exciting triple signing claim
Reports of late have claimed technical director Tim Steidten has been working with Lopetegui on West Ham’s transfer plan.
It seems the club will see the fruits of that labour very soon.
Sean Whetstone counts the likes of West Ham majority owner Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady among his close contacts.
And according to Whetstone, the Hammers are expecting to announce up to THREE new signings ready as soon as the window opens for international deals on July 1st.
“Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui are expecting to have the first 2-3 signings sorted out by the end of June ready for the start of the International transfer window and Lopetegui’s official first day of work at West Ham on 1 July,” Whetstone said.
West Ham being organised and efficient in the transfer market will make a refreshing change.
If that proves to be the case then having Steidten in full control is clearly already making a huge difference.
It was claimed two weeks ago that the German is prioritising signing two new centre-backs and a striker for Lopetegui this summer.
West Ham’s refreshing transfer efficiency?
So could we see those positions among the three signings the club are confident of announcing at the start of the window?
Players will start returning for their first pre-season training session with Lopetegui in the first week of July.
If Whetstone’s claim proves accurate then those players will be able to take part in the club’s trip to the USA.
Getting signings sorted early is also important given the Euros and Copa America take place this summer.
Some fans have voiced concerned about West Ham’s transfer budget since it became clear they won’t be able to sell Lucas Paqueta for £85m as planned.
But the club is on course to make record profits in excess of £365m so money should not be an issue.