Daniel Kretinsky can save West Ham millions by beating Burnley to £0 ex-Sunderland man | OneFootball

Denis Cirkin is on the radar of Burnley, but West Ham should get in ahead of their divisional rivals

West Ham are still in the process of sifting through their squad to see who is ready to help them in the upcoming Championship campaign.

The Hammers were European champions three years ago, so it's safe to say that the squad that got relegated at the London Stadium last season is, on paper, one of the strongest in Championship history, given it is littered with international talent.

Those players who were on international duty this summer in the USA, Canada and Mexico for the World Cup were given an extended holiday as the rest of the club returned to pre-season, but it's close to being that time when the Hammers will need to know who is with them for the new campaign.

One of the five players representing their country was left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf, who played in three of Senegal's four games en route to their dramatic exit at the hands of Belgium.

The 21-year-old only arrived at the London Stadium last summer from Czech outfit Slavia Prague for £19 million, but he may be on his way out after a strong debut campaign in the Premier League, despite the relegation.

West Ham shouldn't be waiting around for official confirmation, though, and should move quickly to secure a replacement ahead of a fellow recently relegated side.

West Ham should target Dennis Cirkin this summer

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Daniel Kretinsky has done a lot right at West Ham in the month since it was announced that he was set to become the Hammers' biggest shareholder.

The running track around the London Stadium may be being removed, to the delight of West Ham fans, and captain Jarrod Bowen has agreed to stay at the club after meeting with the Czech businessman, too, which is arguably the biggest piece of business of the summer.

Evidently, Kretinsky wants to avoid a fire sale if he can, but given Diouf's potential, it's more likely than not that Premier League clubs will be taking a look at him.

Therefore, West Ham should turn to Dennis Cirkin on a free transfer, after he departed Sunderland at the end of his contract this summer.

The 24-year-old was one of the many Sunderland players who were almost the victims of their own success in the Championship, as a busy summer ahead of their Premier League return saw the full-back limited to just eight league appearances, the majority of which came while Reinildo was away on AFCON duty with Mozambique.

In the second tier, though, Cirkin was instrumental to the Black Cats' promotion in the 2024/25 campaign, making 36 appearances and playing every minute in their three play-off games, too.

It's somewhat surprising that he's yet to be snapped up, as he's officially been a free agent for over two weeks now, but perhaps that's due to the quality of sides he has to pick from, with Bundesliga new boys Schalke and Burnley reportedly interested in his signature.

Dennis Cirkin would be a free left-back replacement and stamp down West Ham's intent for the new season

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West Ham have been plotting what they'd do if Diouf departed for a good while now. Back in late May, FLW exclusively revealed that they are interested in signing Sheffield United's Harrison Burrows this summer.

While Burrows is also a very good full-back option in the Championship with Premier League potential and offers a little more going forward, too, the Blades likely wouldn't part ways with the 24-year-old for cheap, while Cirkin would be a free replacement.

The former Sunderland man is a few years younger than Burrows, with a similar ceiling, and could really excel under Nuno Espirito Santo. For a free transfer, there arguably wouldn't be many better options.

Plus, it would give the Hammers more of an opportunity to invest elsewhere to help replace any other departures or even bring in upgrades ahead of the new season.

Cirkin may have other interested parties if West Ham put their name in the hat, but it would be a good way to mark their intentions ahead of the new season if they were able to fend those parties off, showing that they're here to lift the Championship title come May.