The entire rivalry may keep West Ham from replacing Johnson in the face of “real competition”.

If West Ham doesn’t move quickly, they risk losing out to fierce rivals on their ideal Ben Johnson replacement. The team is concerningly weak already, having been already thin going into the transfer window. Even if Angelo Ogbonna hasn’t played much this season, Ben Johnson leaving for Ipswich on a free transfer is a huge blow. They not only miss out on a talented, homegrown player, but they also have to sign another guy.

The Hammers have had to partially refocus their attention on a right-back, even though they still sorely need a striker and two center backs. Fortunately, they have the ideal chance to sign their top target. In all likelihood, it’s a miracle that Kyle Walker-Peters wasn’t signed by another team as soon as Southampton was demoted. It was already widely agreed upon that he was too excellent for the Saints, but it still amazes me that a player of his caliber was able to compete in the Championshiip.

He is a fantastic player who can play both offensively and defensively. He would give Vladimir Coufal serious competition and could overtake the Czech as first choice.

But, according to Sky Sports, Brighton and fierce rivals Tottenham are both mulling moves for the defender, so the Irons must move quickly. He may be eager to return to North London given that he attended the Spurs academy. Thankfully, West Ham does have one distinct advantage that might wind up being the difference in where he ends up: Flynn Downes. Given his stellar season in the English football league’s second division and his absolute necessity for the Saints to advance, it is anticipated that they will make a move for the midfield player.

Since no deal has been finalized, our Irons may simply refuse to sell Southampton their top target or significantly increase Walker-Peters’ asking price in retaliation if they were to sell him elsewhere. In order to prevent any issues, it would be in the best interests of both clubs to complete the two transactions as soon as feasible.

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