West Ham United will not be going up against a Sunderland player with whom they’ve been linked on Saturday.
The Premier League weekend kicks off with a huge game for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side at the London Stadium.
Indeed, West Ham are playing Sunderland on Saturday, as the Hammers look to move within two points of safety in the Premier League table.
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Nottingham Forest – West Ham’s closest relegation rival – do not play until Sunday, so Nuno does have a chance to apply some pressure.
It will be a difficult game for the Irons, though not one they absolutely cannot win. The Black Cats aren’t in good form on the road, after all.
Ahead of the game, Sunderland have opted to leave Dan Neil out of their squad amid links with a move to West Ham.
Sunderland leave Dan Neil out of squad to play West Ham
On Friday night, Mike McGrath of The Daily Telegraph revealed that Neil had not made the journey from Wearside to east London for Saturday’s game.
It’s claimed that the 24-year-old could be edging closer to a departure during the closing stages of the January transfer window.
Why would we keep an unhappy player 😂
What does this tell you about the decision making behind the scenes?!
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The news comes just a few days after Sky Sports suggested that West Ham held a long-standing interest in the central midfielder.
West Ham’s interest in Dan Neil explained
The midfielder is coming towards the end of his contract with Sunderland, so could represent an opportunistic signing.
In fact, it was claimed by transfer expert Ben Jacobs earlier this month that West Ham had already made an enquiry for the central midfielder, who is also able to operate in a more defensive role.
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Nuno wants to rebalance the West Ham squad and while there’s a certain logic in signing Neil, he should not be a priority at this stage.
The Hammers simply have much more pressing needs that require attention, such as the signing of a new central defender or two.
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