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Report: West Ham interested in signing match winning midfielder who can ‘take games by the scruff of the neck’
, West Ham, and a multitude of other Premier League teams are in hot pursuit of the resurgent Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Loftus-Cheek has pushed himself back into Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel’s thoughts this season.
And Tuchel’s newfound trust was rewarded this weekend as Loftus-Cheek scored the important first goal in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Fa Cup Semi-Final.
West Ham on the other hand are about to be very short on midfielders. Alex Kral’s loan is finishing and iconic captain
It would seemingly be a match made in heaven.
Where would Loftus-Cheek prefer to play?
Chelsea. , now that he has made an impression at Chelsea once again, he wants to secure the midfield spot for himself.
The issue there, unfortunately for Loftus-Cheek is the money and the talent in between him and starting every game.
An injury to Mateo Kovacic and the poor form of Jorginho has created a perfect storm at the minute for the Lewisham native. But with Conor Gallagher returning next season he will find the road to that starting berth filled with far more obstacles.
Loftus-Cheek has admitted himself he is a confidence player, he needs his manager to trust him and give him game time to find his best form.
‘Confidence comes from playing a lot, being exposed to it every week.’
‘You get confidence and it becomes second nature to do things you do on the pitch. If you don’t have confidence you second-guess yourself and it becomes a lot of over-thinking on the pitch.’
‘I feel like when I’ve had a consistent amount of games I’ve flourished. Like the Palace season and with Maurizio Sarri.’
For a player of Loftus-Cheek’s prestigious talent, sitting on the bench is a waste, especially as he is reaching his peak footballing years at 26.
He will be thinking about his options more than he is letting on.
What could West Ham offer Loftus-Cheek?
Gametime in short. Faith in his ability in the long term.
Loftus Cheek has the ability to play most positions in attacking midfield as well as centre midfield.
Loftus Cheek’s old manager :
‘Is a player at this moment in time who, given moments in games, can take the game by the scruff of the neck and be that powerful, technically-gifted midfield player.’
With both Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice a point of interest for many big clubs, the need for a decisive, big-game player could become paramount in the coming window for the Hammers.
If David Moyes can convince Loftus-Cheek to join, he can be a big part of his project. He can point to the fortunes of fellow England international Jesse Lingard after making the move to East London and pinpoint the faith he showed in him.
With West Ham looking likely to achieve at least European Conference League football next season, there will be plenty of game time to go around.
Considering the current injury crisis they have on their hands, Moyes will be keen to invest in plenty of back-ups this summer. The track to the first team is a lot clearer for West Ham than for Chelsea, and in David Moyes, he would have a manager who has completely revived players’ careers before.
He would be wise to consider the move.