West Ham could now be about to agree multiple out-of-window deals using new affiliate club in Austria
West Ham can use their new affiliate club in Austria to loan players currently not eligible to play in the Premier League.
The Daily Mail has reported that West Ham have entered into a new partnership with Austrian side Klagenfurt following the signing of midfielder Andy Irving as part of a bigger deal between the clubs. According to the Daily Mail, Irving’s deal with Klagenfurt will see the Austrian club become an ‘affiliate club’ for West Ham, joining the list of Premier League sides to partner with affiliate clubs. “If West Ham sign an affiliate club, it will open up a lot of possibilities when it comes to recruiting talent,” said finance expert, Maguire. “If West Ham spot a player who doesn’t have enough ‘GBE points’ to be’registered’ in England, they can take advantage of the ‘holding area’ provided by the affiliate club to give them more experience. “This is a strategy that Brighton have also adopted, partnering with Union SG.”
Once they have achieved the necessary points to be considered for a General Benevolent Order, they can be invited to join the first team at the London Stadium. This is becoming increasingly common as clubs and owners work together to maximize their long-term financial stability.
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Fabrizio Romano gives more details about the work Arteta put in to signing Rice
Declan Rice is considered a perfect signing for Mikel Arteta, and the Arsenal manager had identified him as a target well in advance. Before Rice’s impressive form at West Ham during the previous season, Arteta had already expressed his desire to work with the English midfielder.
When West Ham won the Europa Conference League, it sparked a transfer battle between Arsenal and Manchester City for Rice’s services. However, City was unaware that Arteta had already been in talks with Rice.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arteta had been actively pursuing Rice for a considerable period, employing a charm offensive to secure the former Chelsea youth player’s signature. Eventually,
Arteta’s efforts bore fruit, leading to Rice joining Arsenal.
Romano said in his column on Caught Offside:
“Declan Rice has been speaking in glowing terms about Mikel Arteta as he discussed the manager’s importance in convincing him to join Arsenal this summer. For sure, he was absolutely crucial, and I understand that what Rice has said publicly is the reality – Arteta started pushing to have Rice at the club already in January.
“Of course, to sign Rice was impossible in January, but Arteta has wanted him since January and he was pushing in internal discussions since then, and also had important discussions with the player.
“It was always crucial to have that kind of impact from the manager – Arteta is doing a really special job on and off the pitch for Arsenal. He is great at convincing the players, discussing the project, the strategy they have. With Rice, he gave a detailed picture of the tactics and how he would fit into the squad, but also about the leadership.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Rice has been one of the best midfielders in England for several seasons and is a player we are sure will do well at Arsenal.
He has the talent and the attitude to become a world class player and we are lucky to have him in our group now.
