news-engine

The Glasgow Rangers connection at West Ham United keeps growing. With an ex-Rangers triumvirate now occupying key executive positions, the Hammers now boast head of recruitment Nils Koppen (former technical director at Ibrox), Acting CEO Karim Virani (Ex ‘Gers chief commercial officer) and newly appointed CFO James Taylor (Formerly CFO at Ibrox). The welcome stability provided from a trio of summer appointments comes after the chaos of Sullivan and Brady’s departure and should hopefully be a big step in setting West Ham back on an even keel after mammoth losses and some pretty poor executive decisions last year. The trio obviously know each other well – but it seems the Rangers links might not be over just yet as Nils Koppen is reported to be planning a further raid north of the border for another midfield talent- following the successful recruitment of Celtic’s Arne Engels. According to several reports, the Hammers are considering a move for midfielder Connor Barron: “Rangers midfielder Connor Barron could be on his way to West Ham after backroom development at London Stadium – (Rangersnews.uk) West Ham need a defensive midfielder – could Connor Barron be their next target? Predominantly a defensive midfielder, Barron can’t get into the starting XI at Ibrox, according to the fan site, which claims: “Connor Barron’s days as a Rangers player appear to be numbered, as Derek McInnes [Manager] does not seem to rate the midfielder that highly. Despite struggles in the middle of the park and the constant chopping and changing of midfielders, McInnes has not given the Scotsman a go in the team this season. The 23-year-old has played a grand total of zero minutes in four matches despite being a part of the matchday squad”. Whether this is simply a ‘suggestion’ owing to the players’ availability and West Ham’s preponderance of Rangers expertise- who can say: Whilst links persist over Edson Alvarez’ impending departure, the Hammers could certainly be in the market place for a defensive midfielder having already sold Freddie Potts and with Soungoutou Magassa linked with above back to France. A host of other sites have reported West Ham’s interest in Barron, also sought by Sevilla, so there may be more than just idle speculation to the story. It is also worth noting that this is not a new ‘link’, Barron originally having been touted as a Hammers target at the start of the window.