West Ham set to lose talented ace who has been key man this season

As the Julen Lopetegui era gets underway at West Ham United, the first thing that the Spaniard will need to understand is exactly which players he will have at his disposal.

After an underwhelming season in 2023/24 with David Moyes at the helm, it wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that some first team stars may have become disillusioned with their time at the club.

Ultimately, the manager has to make his choice as to who he believes is the best first XI and subs, and if that means that certain players don’t make the match day squads so be it.

West Ham midfielder could decide to move on this summer

There will also be those players that are perhaps deemed too good to be sold but not good enough at any given moment, and to that end a loan move would be arranged.

That was the case with West Ham’s excellent 25-year-old midfielder, Flynn Downes.

Despite being part of the squad which ended the season before last winning the Europa Conference League – the East London outfit’s first major piece of silverware in 43 years – Downes was loaned out to Southampton for the 2023/24 campaign.

Having helped the Saints win promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking thanks to a 1-0 win in the Play-Off final at Wembley, Downes has shown time and again what an important and key member of the team he is.

Loaning him to the Saints could be a decision that the Hammers end up regretting too, as the Daily Echo note that the South Coast outfit are now looking to take the player on a permanent basis.

With 37 games under his belt, most of them playing the full 90 minutes (WhoScored), it’s evident that Downes has become a fully paid up member of Russell Martin’s squad.

That trust from the manager will surely have resonated with Downes, and if believes that he isn’t wanted at West Ham, particularly with a new regime getting their feet under the table, a move to Southampton isn’t the worst in the world for the next stage in his career.