Frustrated Hammer poised to leave this week

Hammer poised to leave

Before last night’s Premier League game against Brighton, it was announced that Thilo Kehrer was poised to leave West Ham. Transfer insider and journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that the German defender was on the brink of joining Ligue 1 side Monaco.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see Kehrer omitted from the Hammers’ squad for the 0-0 draw with the Seagulls at The London Stadium.

The truth is that Kehrer has been seeking an exit from West Ham for quite some time and was believed to be unhappy with his lack of game time. The only real surprise was that Monaco was his chosen destination, given that they are relative latecomers to the bidding.

However, the pace at which the deal has been done so early in the transfer window demonstrates just how eager both the club and the player were to finalize this deal.

Romano has reported that Kehrer will join on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy based on unspecified criteria. Given that Monaco are chasing Champions League places and currently sit 3rd in the French league, it’s probably safe to assume European qualification is one of the stipulations.

For the player, it marks the end of an unremarkable stint in East London. Like many other squad members outside of the starting line-up at West Ham, he probably saw no path to the first team. The final straw would have been his exclusion from the team despite injuries to both first-choice central defenders recently.

So, Kehrer is highly likely to be the first of many out the door at West Ham in January. Let’s just hope the club is equally decisive with their recruiting.