News emerging from West Ham has confirmed that four of their senior players will be leaving the club at the end of the season to begin a new chapter in their careers.
You might be wondering why an Everton-focused site is covering a Premier League rival, but there’s a clear, if tenuous, link. With David Moyes back at the helm, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him target some of his former players to strengthen Everton’s squad depth and sign one or more of those players come July.
The Premier League rival has confirmed that the quartet of Łukasz Fabiański, Vladimír Coufal, Danny Ings, and Aaron Cresswell are all set to depart the London Stadium once the season concludes.
Fans are likely shaking their heads at the thought of these players becoming summer signings, especially after the takeover promised a transformative transfer window and a long-overdue squad rebuild. But these additions could make more sense than they seem—and I’m here to make the case.
João Virgínia remains an unproven back-up goalkeeper, and with Asmir Begović set to leave, questions are being raised about whether he’s ready to step into the number two role.
Enter Łukasz Fabiański: the 40-year-old brings a wealth of Premier League experience and still looks fit enough to compete, especially as the Polish international goalkeeper has played 215 times so far in his seven seasons for the Hammers. He’d provide reliable cover should Jordan Pickford suffer an injury and would accept a supportive role while helping the England international perform at his peak.
That theme of experience extends to the full-back positions with potential moves for Vladimír Coufal and Aaron Cresswell, particularly the latter, making sense. A product of Liverpool’s academy (we won’t hold that against him), Cresswell could offer valuable competition for Vitalii Mykolenko. This could also save Nathan Patterson switching flanks to his unfancied side, where we have seen struggle on the left before, or a wide midfielder dropping should the Ukrainian be unavailable.
Coufal would bring international-level quality to a young Everton side. However, with the emergence of Jake O’Brien and Nathan Patterson this season in that right role, the logic behind such a move is harder to justify, though few would begrudge him filling the kind of squad role Ashley Young has occupied this year.
While those three signings could be seen as sensible additions, I’ve been racking my brain to come up with a valid argument for Danny Ings joining Everton next season, and I simply can’t.
The former Liverpool striker has struggled at West Ham, scoring just four goals and showing signs of steady decline since arriving in East London. He’s a player who thrives on regular football, but it’s hard to see him getting minutes ahead of Beto, Iliman Ndiaye, or Dominic Calvert-Lewin (should he stay). I’m confident most fans would agree, this one's a firm "no" from us, especially after I saw his reported pay packet each week.
Raiding his former club could well be on the cards this summer, with David Moyes already linked to Tomas Soucek and a move for Edson Álvarez making clear sense to address Everton’s midfield needs. Now, it’s simply a matter of time to see whether a reunion with familiar faces brings the same satisfaction as the bittersweet farewell that once marked the end of Moyes’ successful stint in the land of bubbles.