While there’s very little to suggest that the Liverpool hierarchy would sanction a big money move for another defender after spending in excess of £20mil to bring in former Southampton man Dejan Lovren in the summer, that’s exactly what they’re going to have to do if they want to entice West Ham United into parting with Winston Reid.
The Kiwi defender is in the final season of his contract at the Boleyn Ground, and without an extension in sight, the vultures have been circling with a number of clubs — including cross-town rivals Arsenal and the Merseysiders — looking to snatch him up on the cheap. With the Hammers occupying the upper echelons of the Premier League going into the New Year, and Reid at the center of their tidy defense, West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has ruled out allowing him to jump ship unless they get an offer too good to refuse.
That offer, it seems, would have to be in the region of what the Reds paid to bring Lovren in during a whirlwind spending spree. “He is not going anywhere unless someone bids £20m or something like that. There is obviously not a lot I can do about that” said the Hammers manager before warning off any would be bargain hunters. “If somebody flirts around with a measly offer because he is in the last year of his contract, we would make more money by keeping him and finishing where we are in the league than selling him and putting our good season in jeopardy. Because replacing him in January – replacing anybody in January – is a very difficult job indeed.”
Despite Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers ruling out bringing in any new players in January, the Reds continue to be linked with a host of players, though providing competition for incumbent ‘keeper Simon Mignolet and patching up the holes at the back look to be the priority for the Northern Irishman. We’ll see if this rumour, West Ham’s resolve, hold up hold any water when time starts to tick away…
