West Ham United have received a huge boost in their pursuit of Fulham number 10, Tom Cairney after the player expressed his interest to play for the Hammers. The EFL Championship side are refusing to sell their best midfielder who just signed a contract extension tying down his services with the Lillywhites till the summer of 2021.
The 26-year-old has been in excellent form this season at Craven Cottage and West Ham would find Fulham, who made it clear that they are not ready to part ways with any of their players and instead wants to bring in a few new faces, prove to be a major stumbling block in the progress of the deal.
Cairney has scored around 22 goals in over 100 appearances for Fulham and would have been a good deal for West Ham, given his football dynamics. However, agreeing to a deal with a Fulham side for £15m, who will want to keep their captain, will now be the main focus of the deal.
Cairney has hit a snag this season with a few complications with injuries but is still a key figure under Slaviša Jokanović. He got himself an assist in the 6-0 win over Burton Albion last weekend and has so far featured in 18 games. Fulham are still in the hunt for making into the playoffs by the end of the season. They are just a point behind Sheffield United in the 7th spot of the Championship and cannot afford to lose one of their best players.
But can they really hold onto him if he has already made up his mind on making an exit? West Ham are eager to keep their seasonal ambitions alive of finishing well away from the relegation zone. They have just bolstered the midfield through the loan move of Joao Mario for the remainder of the season, but are still considering a permanent candidate.
Manuel Lanzini went down with an injury in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth last weekend and has been ruled out for almost 6 weeks. His absence has left a huge gap in the starting lineup even though Mario can replace him as the attacking midfielder.
Cairney’s arrival will allow the Portuguese international to slide into the deeper holding midfield role alongside Mark Noble. Cairney can feature alongside Michail Antonio in the final third and link up the offence with the rest of the team. If Moyes is sold over his talents, the former Manchester United manager should not waste any more time in acquiring his talents.
