Stefan Borson: West Ham have paid ‘double the valuation’ to complete 'crazy' signing
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.
Southampton rejected an offer for Fernandes from West Ham earlier last month as they looked to secure a big-money deal for the midfielder.
West Ham agreed a deal to sign Fernandes last week, with the transfer worth in excess of £40million following weeks of negotiations.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Fernandes deal, Borson said: “That’s the surprise of these teams trying to leave everything to the last minute.
“If you play that game, you gamble and you still want the same player, it doesn’t seem to me that the idea you gamble on having a good start and, therefore, you end up getting the player for that price, I don’t really see that that makes much sense.
“The risk is on those deals and it happened again with Southampton. Southampton sell another player in Dibling and then they don’t have the same need or dependency on selling other players, and so all that happens is the price goes up.
“I don’t know.
“I just think it’s crazy.”
Credit: Imago
In terms of an exit at the London Stadium, Football Insider revealed on Monday (1 September) Lewis Orford has agreed to join Stevenage on loan from West Ham.
The deal is viewed as a huge coup for the League One side, who beat off interest from several other EFL clubs to secure the midfielder’s signature.
The 19-year-old is highly rated at the London Stadium, having made two Premier League appearances under Potter last season.