Season › 2014-15 › News

Reports: Late West Ham move for Distin fell through

Lyndon Lloyd , 4 February, 22comments  |  Jump to most recent
Sylvain Distin was the subject of late interest from West Ham, who would have signed the 37 year-old had the two parties been able to agree on the duration of the contract.

Roberto Martinez has confirmed that Everton received inquiries from "a couple of clubs" for the Frenchman on transfer deadline day and Hammers Chairman David Gold admitted that his club prioritised central defence as an area to strengthen but could not get a deal over the line.

“There were a couple of clubs,” Martinez said in the Liverpool Echo. "It would not be right for me to put the names out but there were a couple of conversations and as you can imagine, Sylvain has been a terrific servant for Everton and he is out of contract at the end of this season.

“So it is only normal and fair to have that conversation. At the end, Sylvain is an Everton player and that is the only thing that matters going forward.”

Gold didn't explicitly name the defenders he and Sam Allardyce were chasing on Monday but it is generally accepted that Distin was one of them, with want-away Winston Reid potentially coming in the other direction. Reid is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with the Blues in recent weeks.

“Our desire to try to bring in new faces was heightened by what happened at Anfield on Saturday, with all three central defenders suffering injuries," the Hammers chief said.

“We prioritised that position and targeted two experienced Premier League defenders but could not reach an agreement with them over the length of their deals.”

 

Reader Comments (22)

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Pete Edwards
1 Posted 04/02/2015 at 19:54:15
Would have loved Reid in as part of this! Seems odd though that west ham wanted to strengthen their defence by swapping one centre back with another and two at different levels currently!
John Daley
2 Posted 04/02/2015 at 19:59:58
Would have been a great bit of business on our part. Wonder how long a deal Distin was trying to wrangle though? If West Ham only wanted to take him until the end of the season as a stop-gap, then I guess you can understand him thinking 'what's the point?'. If they offered him any more than that then he should have snapped their hand off.
Denis Richardson
3 Posted 04/02/2015 at 20:11:10
As Reid has decided to join Spurs in the summer, I guess the swap was never a starter in the first place.
Colin Glassar
4 Posted 04/02/2015 at 20:20:15
Distin was offered a deal for the remainder of the season and a much lower wage. He wanted 18 months and the same wages he ’earns’ at Everton.
The Reid deal was definitely on as Everton were prepared to pay a nominal fee for him but Distin refused to budge,
Jon Withey
5 Posted 04/02/2015 at 22:23:45
Why would any human being accept a much lower wage for the same length of employment?

I assume WH were trying to get us to pay some of it and we didn't want to.

Shame we didn't get Reid.

James Stewart
6 Posted 04/02/2015 at 22:42:32
Reid was the one I wanted. Would have made sense to move Distin on he won't be playing here now we are out of the cups.
Kase Chow
7 Posted 04/02/2015 at 23:01:04
Everyone banging on about Reid: is he really THAT good?

Did a job on Lukaku at Goodison BUT he still scored in each tie. What's Reid's main strengths?

Paul Hewitt
8 Posted 04/02/2015 at 23:05:09
Apart from Stone he's better than what we got Kase.
Gavin Johnson
9 Posted 04/02/2015 at 23:18:00
It's kinda infuriating if it's to be believed Distin was the one who scuppered the deal digging his heals in over the length of contract.

As soon as I heard the rumour West Ham wanted him I thought it would suit everyone if we offered Distin and cash for Reid. So I was made up when I saw that we wanted Reid in the deal. It's a shame because it could have solved our defensive problems in one swoop. And it's highly unlikely we'll get him now in the summer with the other clubs circling.

Paul Hewitt
10 Posted 04/02/2015 at 23:30:08
I hear Reid's going to Spurs, Gavin.
Jamie Sweet
11 Posted 04/02/2015 at 23:57:50
Reid and Stones would have seen us sorted at CB for the next decade.

Spurs move not confirmed yet, so perhaps there is still a chance.

Cracking player. World Cup goal scorer. We don't have many of those in our squad.

Mike Childs
12 Posted 05/02/2015 at 01:06:14
While Reid would be a good addition, I would prefer Ashley Williams at Swansea. The performance he put on last weekend was one of the best by a CB I have seen this year in the EPL. He's got a nasty streak that we lack as well as not to mention he actually knows what it means to wear the armband.
Peter Gorman
13 Posted 05/02/2015 at 03:24:26
Mike, funny you mention Ashley Williams as I have secretly hankered after him (football-wise) since the game at Goodison last season. No-nonsense pro but used to playing the passing game at Swansea; shame I can't see him leaving any time soon.
Kieran Fitzgerald
14 Posted 05/02/2015 at 06:35:49
Is the Reid to Spurs thing a definite? I hope not as he would suit us both player wise and finances wise. A player of his standard on a Bosnan is not to be sneezed at. Why not stick a pre-contract in front of him offering what we are paying Distin right now.
Colin Glassar
15 Posted 05/02/2015 at 09:08:45
Reid will go to whoever offers the biggest wage now. That won’t be us sadly.
Ciaran Duff
17 Posted 05/02/2015 at 10:02:39
Correct, Colin. He has run down his contract and from previous press he not only wanted big wages but a substantial "signing on" fee. Sounds like a complete mercenary.
Anto Byrne
18 Posted 05/02/2015 at 10:06:51
Sampdoria manager Sinisa Mihajlovic subsequently ordered the squad to attend an extra training session – sparking a row with former Cameroon star Eto'o, who allegedly refused.

The club have refused to confirm the incident, which further reports claim could lead to the termination of Eto'o's contract after just one week.

Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero said: "It was only a difference of opinions and, truthfully, a small one too. We are calm. Samp is very stable."

James Stewart
19 Posted 05/02/2015 at 13:14:41
Williams is a monster. Old fashioned centre half. Better than Reid but no way he would come here.
Sam Hoare
20 Posted 05/02/2015 at 14:19:16
Williams is a tough boot but Reid is quicker and younger. Neither will be coming here!

Van Dijk from Celtic looks a similar type of player and at 23 is on the upward curve. Him and Stones would be a great partnership. He'd probably cost ٥-10m but could be worth it.

It may be that Martinez see's either Browning or Galloway as Stones's long-term partner so maybe it will be a case of just getting back up for Jags this Summer.

Al Reddish
21 Posted 05/02/2015 at 18:58:42
In a way I think we needed this season and the way its turned out. It must have highlighted the weak links in the squad and has proved that it just isn't big enough. I feel positive that next season will be a good one if Bill gives Bobby the funds he needs, (big if I know!). A few players are coming to the end of the line with us like Alcaraz Distin Hibbert Pienaar and Osman, so whether he likes it or not Bobby has to rebuild. Luckily for us we have a decent base of younger players in Stones McCarthy Lukaku and Besic. The future should be bright for us and I look forward to wishing the likes of Distin good luck, but at his new club.
Colin Glassar
22 Posted 05/02/2015 at 19:38:17
Al, I’ve been saying the same for some time now. This season he’s been able to see who’s who and which players will have a part to play next season.
Dave Abrahams
23 Posted 05/02/2015 at 20:14:07
I'm glad Distin didn't go, we'll need him before the end of the season and we had no real chance of getting Reid to come here.

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