Journalist Paul Brown has claimed that West Ham are now unlikely to offer Jesse Lingard a permanent contract, with the delay in the move being a cause for concern.
Brown has suggested that if the Hammers were keen on giving Lingard a contract at the London Stadium, it would already have been done, as it doesn’t seem like it will be done any time soon.
He also stated that the club don’t particularly need to bring in Lingard now, with his position already saturated with talents such as Lucas Paqueta and new arrival Mohammed Kudus who the former England international would be unlikely to dislodge.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT on 11 September, Brown claimed: “He’s been training with them, trying to build his fitness up. He doesn’t look like a player they particularly need right now. I think he’s obviously looking for a new start somewhere.
“He did great things with them when he went there on loan, but that seems like quite a long time ago now for Jesse Lingard, and he has not shown very much since then.
“It may be that it’s unlikely he gets a chance at West Ham. I think if they were going to offer him a contract, they probably would have done it by now. I don’t think it looks like he’s getting one anytime soon.”
Despite the extended period of training Lingard has been involved in at Rush Green as he looks to regain his fitness in search of a permanent contract, West Ham should be careful not to hand out contracts just for the sake of it. Brown is correct in his claim that the club are well-stocked in his position.
Lingard may have held some favourable opinions at the London Stadium after his stellar performances for the club in the 2020/21 season, where he scored nine goals and assisted five in just 16 appearances while on loan, but that will also have been smeared by his refusal to return that summer.
Even on an incentivised contract as has been suggested [Daily Mail, 4 September], it is simply not worth the extra wage to take a punt on a player with no guarantee of positive returns when the club already have plenty of options to play the role he offers.
There has also been reported interest from Wolves in the former England international, as his options currently remain open in his bid to secure another contract following his release from Nottingham Forest.