David Moyes disclosed that West Ham came close to signing Cole Palmer last summer before the midfielder opted for Chelsea.
The Hammers pursued Palmer’s signature at the end of the previous season following his departure from Manchester City. However, they lost out to Chelsea in the transfer battle.
Conversely, Manchester City showed interest in West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta during the summer. Still, they withdrew from the deal due to an investigation into potential betting breaches by the midfielder.
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Reflecting on West Ham’s failed attempt to sign Palmer, Moyes suggested that Paqueta’s collapsed move to City played a role in the outcome.
“We were close, close,” Moyes revealed. “You can probably imagine the other part of it, where there was a possibility of somebody leaving here which might have made that work.
“I was in regular contact with his agent, and we were well on the road with it, but it just changed at the end, and we couldn’t do it.
“I watched him playing for England Under-21s regularly, and I thought he was their standout player. I was always keen to bring in British players.
“The bigger problem was that he played in the same position as Jarrod Bowen, but I had the thought about Jarrod becoming a center-forward.”
Moyes also highlighted the influence of Lee Carsley, the former Everton player and England U21 manager, in assessing young talents like Palmer.
“He spoke so highly about him and what he was like,” Moyes remarked. “We knew he could play several positions, and let’s be fair, he’s been a revelation this year for Chelsea.”
Palmer is currently second in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot, trailing Erling Haaland by just one goal, while Bowen sits in seventh place with 16 league goals this season.