da aposte e ganhe： West Ham United must use Josh Cullen’s pre-season statement against him and force the central midfielder to accept a late offer to join RSC Anderlecht before Deadline Day.
What’s the word?
da bet sport： According to the Daily Mail’s Adrian Kajumba, Belgian giants Anderlecht are interested in forging a late effort to sign Cullen and are hopeful of sealing a deal before the window slams shut on Monday.
Cullen, who has two caps for the Republic of Ireland, has struggled to establish himself in manager David Moyes’ plans since returning from a loan spell with Charlton Athletic in the Championship last season, with the Scottish coach only awarding him a Carabao Cup outing against his former loan side in the Second Round.
Bar those 90 minutes at the London Stadium, Cullen’s name has not yet featured on any first-team team sheet with the 24-year-old instead left at home to watch the action unfold.
The Westcliff-on-Sea-born midfielder had been keen to establish himself in the West Ham senior squad after starting all 34 of his second-tier outings either side of an ankle ligament injury last term, stating that this season is his time to make it happen.
“I’ve always said all along, through all the loans, the end goal is to be at West Ham,” the Hammers academy graduate told West Ham TV. “I’m 24 now so it’s time to make it happen.
“It’s been a different pre-season, a shorter one than normal, but I’ve loved every minute of it under the gaffer. Having worked under him and his staff during his first spell here, to come back and work under him again, I’ve loved it.”
Time to force the move
As much as Cullen is eager to forge a successful senior career at the club he’s been with since 2010, his time is now surely over and it is the responsibility of the Hammers to force a move if the offer is there.
Anderlecht’s interest comes at a point in Cullen’s career when he has just the one year remaining on his contract and is failing to the earn opportunities to impress Moyes and convince the ownership that he deserves an extension put before him.
Moving to Belgium, however, would see Cullen land the chance of competing at one of the top club’s in the country as they look to right the failings of last season, having ended the campaign down in eighth place and 27-points behind champions Club Brugge.
Vincent Kompany’s side would certainly appear to need reinforcements, too, as the former Manchester City centre-back has only overseen three wins from his side’s first seven league games to already be trailing the leaders by six points.
If the chance to play is not there under Moyes, West Ham must use Cullen’s “make it happen” comment against him and ensure the player does not waste another year of his career.
AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a setback in the club’s efforts to land the missing spark of David Moyes’ midfield.