'He made me a winner': West Ham could miss out on former star after Jose Mourinho intervenes

By Rory Godier

According to the Mirror, Manchester United and England attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard now has at least 5 contract offers on the table for when his current one ends in July.

West Ham is one of them. They tried their hardest to get a deal done for Lingard in January but were knocked back by Man United’s unwillingness to ‘strengthen a rival’.

But with Italian sides like AC Milan, Roma and, Juventus interested, they may have missed their chance.

Where could Lingard be heading?

It’s not set in stone, but according to the Mirror, Lingard prefers Italy

“Former England star Lingard is attracted by an Italian job after seeing former Old Trafford team-mate Chris Smalling and England pal Tammy Abraham revive their careers with Roma.”

The draw of regular football as well as being reunited with former manager Jose Mourinho, who now manages at Roma, seems to have turned Lingard’s head.

Lingard made a name for himself under Mourinho at United and famously scored in the 2017 Carabao Cup final in the Portuguese’s first season in charge at United.

Mourinho is the man Lingard says made him ‘a winner’. They were close during Mourinho’s time at Man United with Mourinho allegedly ‘randomly face timing’ Lingard, an action Lingard attributed to him ‘caring’ about the players.

You can see there is a connection there but it will make it no less of a gut punch to both West Ham and David Moyes. They will feel they have just as much of a connection after Lingard’s prolific loan spell with the Hammers at the end of the 2020/21 season.

Is there hope for West Ham?

Lingard hasn’t signed a thing yet so in short, yes. West Ham seems to be a club still in Lingard’s heart.

He has spoken in the past about how ‘brilliant’ his experience with West Ham was and recently his daughter’s Instagram (ran by him) featured a shot of her outside the London Stadium.

It may not just come down to nostalgia according to The Mirror .

“Lingard’s international ambitions have also stalled but the attacking star will bag the biggest contract of his career this summer with reports suggesting he might pick up in excess of £150,000-a-week with signing on fees.”

“Newcastle might be able to match that but it appears too rich for West Ham despite Lingard open to a return to the Hammers after his successful loan spell last season.”

The departure of highest earner Andriy Yarmolenko this summer may free up some money, but with West Ham in desperate need of a striker, Lingard’s wages on top may just be a step too far for the Hammers.

David Moyes will have to hope Lingard’s love for West Ham will overrule his financial sense but at the moment, it is looking unlikely.