West Ham United and Chelsea were two of the busiest clubs in the recent summer transfer market, but football pundit Paul Merson has voiced his strong opinions on some of the high-profile signings.
Throughout the window, both clubs were linked with a number of the same players, particularly with West Ham reportedly eyeing several Chelsea stars such as Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Trevoh Chalobah, David Datro Fofana, and Carney Chukwuemeka. Despite the speculation, West Ham shifted their focus elsewhere, with manager Julen Lopetegui and technical director Tim Steidten spearheading a rebuild with different targets.
One of those signings was Germany international Niclas Füllkrug, a player Merson believes Chelsea should have pursued.
“I feel Niclas Füllkrug can have an impact,” Merson said in an interview with Sportskeeda. “I’m a big fan of his, and he even scored for Germany during the international break. I thought Chelsea should’ve looked to sign him. It was a bit of a surprise to me when they did not make a move. The Blues don’t have a proper striker at the moment.”
While Merson praised West Ham’s recruitment of Füllkrug, he was less optimistic about another new signing, Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville, who West Ham beat Chelsea to in the race for his signature.
“West Ham’s other new signing, Crysencio Summerville, might find it hard to impress,” Merson commented. “Every full-back in the Premier League is a full international, so it’s not like the Championship where he dominated.”
West Ham and Chelsea were both linked with several players over the summer, including Summerville, Jhon Duran, and Samu Omorodion. Last summer, West Ham outmaneuvered Chelsea for Ajax star Mohammed Kudus, and this year’s transfer window saw the two clubs competing for more talent.