With reports coming out towards the end of May that young academy prospect Jeremy Ngakia had rejected a new contract at West Ham and wants £20,000-a-week, as per Football.London, former Coventry City striker Noel Whelan believes it is best that the club should not pursue the player any further.
The right-back reportedly wants more money and, with 35-year-old Pablo Zabaleta and Ryan Fredericks the club’s other two options in that position, it will be interesting to see what the Hammers do next.
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Speaking on the options that West Ham have and what they should do to Football Insider, Whelan said, “I think West Ham would probably be laughing at that quite frankly. That’s not the sort of character they want, they want people that want to play for the club, not hold them to ransom.
“He needs to get off his high horse and if he wants that sort of money he’s got to put in performances for two, three seasons.
“Right now people are just happy to be given the chance to have a job. You’d think he’d be a little bit more thankful to the club that they’ve brought him through and given him the opportunity but it just goes to show the lack of respect that some players have for the club that’s done a lot for them.
“You don’t want that in the household, for me I’d just let him go, if he wants to go and get 20 grand somewhere else, good luck to the fella.”
It is hard to disagree with Whelan here – although the 19 year-old has featured for West Ham in their last four Premier League games, per Transfermarkt, these are his only professional appearances to date and he isn’t really in a position to justify asking for more money.
It does hint at the type of personality that the player might have and, with the club currently fighting for survival in the Premier League, it might make the Irons wonder whether this is the type of attitude they want in their squad.
If Ngakia does accept lower wages then the Irons should keep him as he seems a bright prospect, but if he is stubborn in holding out for an increase, then they should definitely look for a replacement in the summer transfer window.
Irons fans, do you agree with Whelan’s views on Ngakia? Comment below with your thoughts!
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