West Ham United have been accused of being ‘disrespectful’ towards Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken amid their attempts to sign him this summer.
Vanaken has been linked with a move to West Ham for several years, as David Moyes was yet to find the creative midfielder he needs.
The possibility of him arriving at the London Stadium emerged again this summer when the Hammers shipped out Nikola Vlasic, opening up a slot for another midfielder.
They subsequently made several bids in an attempt to get him out of Belgium, but Brugge proved resistant to all of them, despite the player making it clear he would like to make the move and take his chance to play Premier League football.
Ultimately it never happened, with West Ham never raising their bid to an acceptable level for Brugge and instead signing Lucas Paqueta from Lyon.
That has presumably ruled out a move for Vanaken and Sporza analyst Peter Vandenbempt is less than impressed by their behaviour.
“Two weeks ago, he seemed all set to leave, but since then there has been little progress,” he told the website.
“Now we can say that it is in line with expectations that he will sign a new improved contract.
“When you have Moyes calling Hans Vanaken three times and getting him all excited about the beautiful project at West Ham – a beautiful club that plays good football and has European ambitions – you have to make it concrete.
“They have reportedly increased their bid by one million euros, which is ridiculous.
“If a bid of 10 million is rejected, then you shouldn’t come up with 11 million. That’s just to say: ‘We tried, but Club was unshakeable’.
“West Ham did want Vanaken, but he was not worth more to them than what they eventually offered for him. Especially considering the amounts they did put up for other players.
“It’s somewhat disrespectful from West Ham towards the player Vanaken. They get him all hot and bothered, only to make no financial effort. That does not show great respect.”
