West Ham United are one of the Premier League clubs that have not been having it funny in the league both financially and in terms of winning games. Hence, West Ham are trying to relieve themselves of unnecessary burden in terms of players they have to pay wages to.
So, on June 30th, players like Pablo Zabaleta and Carlos Sanchez whose contracts with the club would have expired by then would be allowed to walk away from the club as free agents. Unfortunately for the veteran footballers, their destinations are not known yet.
In the case of former Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta, West Ham was working out a one-year contract extension for him. However, the consistent rate of injuries the 35-year-old defender has been battling with especially during this prolonged season forced the club to drop the idea. He has managed to make about 72 appearances for West Ham since he joined them from Manchester City in 2017.
While in the case of Carlos Sanchez, he has proven not to have much to offer the club as the defensive midfielder had only managed to play one Premier League game for West Ham United throughout this season. The 34-year-old Colombian football star has played only 13 games for the London club since he joined them in 2018 from Fiorentina.
West Ham will also lose their 19-year-old defender Jeremy Ngakia on the 30th of this month. In his case, the relegation-threatened club didn’t want him to leave but the player refused to sign his contract extension with the club.
As at now, the destination of the 19-year-old defender is not known but the manager of the club, David Moyes, is very much interested in keeping the youngster.
“In line with our structure and policy, Ngakia was offered significantly improved terms to reward his breakthrough into the first-team squad this year, along with further contractual enhancements linked to his future progress and success,” said West Ham in a statement.
“However, the player and his representatives declined to accept any of the offers, and also turned down a short-term extension until the end of the current season.”
Currently, it looks like the club is on a one-way journey down the Championship level of football in England. They are currently sitting comfortably on the 17th spot on the league table with 27 points and 7 matches left to play.