Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek was reportedly offered to West Ham United late in the transfer window, but the Hammers turned down the Englishman.
According to Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, West Ham United rejected an opportunity to sign Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek late in the summer transfer window, instead bringing in Alex Kral.
Loftus-Cheek is a product of the Chelsea youth academy and had been widely regarded as one of the best talents to come through the ranks at the west London outfit. However, injuries, managerial changes have contributed to him not being able to receive a regular run in the first-team at Stamford Bridge.
Loftus-Cheek had a successful loan spell with Crystal Palace back in 2017/18 and looked set for a prominent role upon return before being struck down by an injury that sidelined him for a lengthy period. The 25-year-old was then loaned out to Fulham for the last season, but failed to make the most of his opportunities.
Now back at Chelsea, the midfielder finds himself behind the likes of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho in Thomas Tuchel’s pecking order. And given that the Blues had been pursuing Saul Niguez with great intent, which they succeeded in, it only made sense for the club to offload Loftus-Cheek from the player’s and the club’s perspective.
To that end, Loftus-Cheek was offered to West Ham United, as per the update from Konur. The Hammers had been in the market for midfield reinforcements, considering that club captain Mark Noble is being phased out of the first-team in what will be his last season as he gets ready to hang up his boots.
And someone like the Chelsea midfielder, who can play in multiple roles in the middle of the park, would have potentially been a handy addition for the east London outfit. However, manager David Moyes decided to turn down the offer and instead went after Czech Republic international Alex Kral, landing him on a season-long loan deal from CSKA Moscow.
West Ham and Chelsea were involved in a transfer deal this summer, with Kurt Zouma making the switch from Stamford Bridge to the London Stadium. However, Loftus-Cheek was denied the opportunity to do the same as well. With the Blues now adding Saul on deadline day, it will be interesting to see if the academy ace does receive any meaningful game-time under Tuchel.
