West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui

HomeTransfers Mon 8 July 2024 18:40, UK

Brighton won an intense transfer race for Amario Cozier-Durberry who was wanted by West Ham United this summer, according to the Evening Standard.

The outlet reported on its website on Monday (8 July) that the Hammers were one of several clubs interested in signing the 19-year-old free agent after his contract with Arsenal expired at the end of the season.

Aston Villa, Celtic, Borussia Dortmund, Rangers and Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq were keen to secure the young winger, but the Seagulls confirmed he had signed a four-year contract on the south coast on Sunday (7 July).

Are West Ham United close to any new signings in the summer transfer window? While it is always frustrating to hear that the Hammers have missed out on transfer targets, this seems like it was always going to be a hard deal for the Irons to pull off this summer given the amount of interest in Cozier-Durberry's signature.

Playing Premier League football under Julen Lopetegui at the London Stadium would have been an attractive option for the young winger, but Brighton have a proven track record of bedding young talents into their first team.

The pathway at West Ham may not be quite as clear for young players looking to breakthrough given the lack of academy graduates in the current first-team squad following the summer departures of Ben Johnson and Divin Mubama.

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui will be keen to add to his squad this summer While the number one priority for Lopetegui this season will be results as it should be, supporters would almost certainly like to see the former Real Madrid manager hand young players a greater role in the first team where possible.

Hopefully, the Irons won't live to regret missing out on Cozier-Durberry this summer but with players like Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen already impressing out wide, they should have the strength in depth to cope.

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In other West Ham news, Danny Ings' stance on a summer move away from the London Stadium has emerged amid links with Southampton