West Ham should take advantage of Ipswich Town transfer decision | OneFootball

West Ham United should consider a move for former Ipswich Town midfielder Jens Cajuste after the Tractor Boys' transfer decision

The clock is ticking for West Ham United's summer to get up and running, as with a new director of player recruitment in the building, the Hammers mustn't waste much more time to become active in the transfer window.

West Ham, following relegation from the Premier League after a 14-year stay in the top flight, arrive in the Championship as one of the outright favourites for the league title.

Three years ago, the Hammers were lifting the UEFA Europa Conference League title, but now, they find themselves in the second tier, and in a tricky position.

The squad turnover is expected to be large, though with only Mateus Fernandes' £85 million move to Tottenham Hotspur being their only notable outgoing thus far, more are expected between now and the end of the window.

In terms of incomings, Keiber Lamadrid, who earned a few minutes after his loan spell to the Hammers in January, has seen his deal become a permanent one, and remains their only arrival thus far.

With Nils Koppen through the doors to become the new director of player recruitment, things ought to be ramping up sooner rather than later at the London Stadium, as West Ham should look to target an international midfielder to replace Fernandes.

West Ham United should target Jens Cajuste after Ipswich Town transfer decision

Action images

With Fernandes out the door, a huge gap will need to be filled in the middle of the park in East London.

Whilst the likes of Tomas Soucek, Freddie Potts, Soungoutou Magassa, Mohamadou Kante, James Ward-Prowse, and Edson Alvarez remain with the club, for now, none can compare to the Portuguese's quality.

Replacing him like-for-like, in terms of both ability and playing style, is next to impossible for the Hammers following relegation, as Koppen must widen their scope in the hunt for another option.

Jens Cajuste, who spent last season on loan with Ipswich Town from Napoli, could be an ideal option.

The Swede, who came through the ranks of Orgyte and FC Midtjylland, first really made a name for himself in France with Stade Reims, before a move to Napoli in 2023 followed.

Following Ipswich's promotion to the Premier League in 2024, Cajuste headed to Suffolk, where he made 30 Premier League appearances at Portman Road, and subsequently returned on loan once more after relegation to the Championship.

The 26-year-old made 30 appearances once more in the Championship, but fell behind Azor Matusiwa, Jack Taylor, and Dan Neil in the pecking order, managing just 13 starts across the campaign, as the Tractor Boys opted against triggering his €7.5 million (£6.5 million) buy option.

Now, Cajuste returns to Napoli and has been the subject of interest from Genoa as of late, but West Ham should put their name into the mix.

A physical, box-to-box defensive-midfielder with bags of energy, Cajuste would go some way to replacing Fernandes in the middle of the park at the London Stadium, and with two years in England already under his belt, would be an ideal fit.

Cajuste would cost just a fraction of the price of what the Portuguese was sold for, and would add a bite and stability in the middle of the park that the Hammers currently lack in their squad.

The Swede has also proven his excellence on the ball, as during his best year in France with Reims, Cajuste completed 39 dribbles across the campaign, ranking in the 88th percentile of midfielders in Ligue 1, as per FotMob, proving his capability of dropping deep and bringing the ball out of defence.

With Ipswich turning their noses up at the possibility of bringing the Swede in permanently, West Ham would be remiss to not try and lure him to the English capital this summer.

Whilst not a direct replacement for Fernandes, Cajuste offers something West Ham don't currently have in their ranks, and should do everything they can to bring him to London Stadium over the next weeks and months.

Nuno Espirito Santo will need midfield reinforcements following Mateus Fernandes' sale and should consider Jens Cajuste swoop

Action images

West Ham must get to business sooner rather than later, as with pre-season well and truly underway, Nuno cannot afford to let valuable training time slip through his fingers with a lack of additions.

The sooner the Hammers get to business, the better, as with Fernandes heading to Spurs, they are now significantly weaker in that area of the pitch.

With Ward-Prowse and Alvarez also expected to leave before the end of the window, it goes without saying that reinforcements in that area for West Ham are a necessity.

A move for Cajuste would tick a lot of boxes for the Hammers, as Nuno must get to work in the market sooner rather than later; otherwise, they will miss out on this potential bargain.