Celtic will be 'all over' transfer move for West Ham United star as ex-Hammers scout shares what he's heard
West Ham United could look to move on a player this summer which could peak Celtic intrigue.
Celtic will be keen on a deal for one West Ham United player this summer if they are given encouragement a transfer could be on, according to an ex Hammers scout.
The Hoops are looking to bolster their ranks this summer after a Premiership and Premier Sports Cup double. Benjamin Nygren is one man hotly linked with becoming a Celtic player while plenty others have already been rumoured as targets, including West Ham United midfielder Andy Irving.
Recently making his Scotland debut, the technician has had interesting journey to the English capital, starting out at Hearts and since featuring in Germany and Austria. Mick Brown, most recently a scout at West Ham during the David Moyes era, says Irving doesn’t feature heavily in Graham Potter’s plans and summer movement could be on the cards. Celtic are one of the clubs he believes who would be keen to take advantage.
Celtic could strike deal with West Ham United
He told Football Insider: “Andy Irving came into the West Ham side once or twice this year. He played a couple of roles in their midfield, but I don’t think they’re convinced by him. From what I hear, they’d be willing to let him go if an offer came in because he’s not going to play a big part under Graham Potter next season.
“Celtic have been keeping tabs on his situation and they know what he can do. I think it’s something he’d be open to as well, a move back to Scotland. They could give him that opportunity because they want to strengthen in midfield.
“They’re in a difficult market, it’s not easy to sign Premier League-level players, but if one becomes available like he has, I think they’ll be all over it. It’s one they’ll look to get done when the window opens.”
West Ham United transfer shock
Irving told club media in May that he didn’t expect his West Ham chance: “I'd had a good first season at Austria Klagenfurt, but I didn’t expect a club like West Ham to come calling. It was a no-brainer to come to a club the size of West Ham. And from that point on, when I signed, it was probably in the back of my head that I wanted to come here and actually be a part of the squad. That was always my aim.
“At the beginning, the conversations were to come in, and I’d be given the opportunity and show what I could do. It was surreal arriving at Rush Green for pre-season, but I got the opportunities to play, to train and to adapt to the level, and I got to play in all the pre-season games and show what I could do.
“I was just loving the experience of learning off players that have played at this level for a long time and are top footballers. Pre-season gave me the confidence that I belonged at West Ham. You're competing with top players every day. I would like to think that they’ve helped me along the way as well and have demonstrated the demands of what it takes to play at this level in the Premier League. They've helped me, and it's made me become a better player for it for sure.”