West Ham miss out on PERFECT signing as Romano issues 'here we go' statement

Cameron Smith

• 26 Jan 2024 09:39 GMT
• 4 min read

West Ham United have bolstered their squad with the signing of England midfielder Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City.

The ex-Leeds United star has barely featured for Pep Guardiola’s side since arriving in 2022 and he has officially joined the Hammers on a short-term deal.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has reported that an option to buy is not included in the move, however Fabrizio Romano has contradicted that by stating that West Ham will be able to buy Phillips permanently for a fee of €47 million (£40m) this summer.

Either way, Phillips will begin his West Ham career with a six-month loan move as he looks to book his place in England’s squad for the 2024 European Championship in Germany.

While West Ham have been buoyed by news that Phillips has arrived on a short-term deal, their ideal midfield signing is on his way to Atletico Madrid.

According to Romano, Diego Simeone’s side have reached a final agreement to sign Royal Antwerp wonderkid Arthur Vermeeren, with the transfer expert revealing the move is now ‘here we go’ done.

The reported transfer fee for the Belgian is just €22m, which is an absolute bargain considering his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €39.6m.

Why Arthur Vermeeren was perfect for West Ham

Arsenal and Manchester United were among several top teams interested in signing Vermeeren, while Barcelona were also linked with a move for the talented 18-year-old.

However, Atleti have won the race for his signature and Vermeeren is expected to become their long-term replacement for Spanish legend Koke.

While he will become an integral member of Atletico Madrid’s squad, data analytics experts SciSports believe that West Ham are currently the club that suits Vermeeren best.

David Moyes’ side have a Club Fit score of 82, better than any other team in world football. AS Roma (79) are second, while Borussia Dortmund (75) are third.

Atletico Madrid, out of interest, rank 14th - with a score of 70.

Vermeeren is regarded as one of Europe’s biggest young talents and it’s clear why Atletico were so keen to wrap up a deal before the rest of the continent could hijack their pursuit.

The Belgian is incredibly press-resistant and his technical ability is already at the highest level, while he combines that with an understanding of the game that someone of his age rarely possesses.

Phillips is likely to replace Soucek in West Ham’s midfield and he will add yet more defensive steel to a team that is built for counter-attacking. The Man City man was a passing machine at Leeds, but he is somewhat similar to Edson Alvarez in regards to his best role on the pitch.

Vermeeren, on the other hand, is the perfect number eight - combining positional understanding with technical class and agility. Next to Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, he may even have been a better fit than Phillips.

West Ham were never seriously in the race to sign Vermeeren, but his current profile suits the Hammers perfectly and could have helped Moyes achieve European football yet again.