Kevin Philipps insists West Ham United should sign Dejan Lovren and use his experience for the rest of the season.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has directly affected football, particularly in those countries. With the ongoing tensions in the eastern European nations, operations on the playing field have ceased as clubs await further instructions on when they might be able to resume normal services.
While playing in Ukraine is not a possibility during this juncture, FIFA have suspended Russian clubs and the national team until further notice. There is uncertainty over these teams with regard to their European campaign, although the domestic league continues to operate normally.
FIFA were urged to open the transfer window for players in Russia and Ukraine, allowing those stars to join another side temporarily if needed. Keeping that in mind, there could be an opportunity for West Ham United to solve a problem area in their squad.
Reports have emerged suggesting that the Hammers could enquire about Dejan Lovren, who currently plays in Russia with Zenit St. Petersburg. David Moyes’ side could use the current FIFA ruling on Russian sides and look to bring in the former Liverpool defender until the end of the season.
The rules state that clubs can sign players from Russian clubs as their current contracts are suspended temporarily. Teams could now look to sign players from those sides, although they will have to register new signings before April 7th and later use them for the rest of the season.
The Hammers had been searching for a new defender in the January window, although they never managed to sign one. With the opportunity at hand, Kevin Phillips told Football Insider that he believes West Ham should sign Lovren as his experience could be useful for them in the season.
Philipps said, “He’d be a massive signing. The experience that he’s got would be invaluable at this stage of the season. To try and help the team whether you’re fighting in the Premier League or challenging in Europe. To have someone like that at the heart of your defence with his experience, he’s an organiser and a leader. It would be a massive, massive bonus for them.”
However, a big question marks remains over whether Premier League would allow any transfers with the official windows closed.
