West Ham could re-sign Jesse Lingard

The deadline for naming the 25-man squad for the Premier League campaign is gone, but West Ham only put 24 names on their list, which means they could add a 25th at any point. It seems that they’re keeping the slot open for the possibility of bringing back Jesse Lingard, who spent the second half of 2020/21 there, on loan from Manchester United.

Lingard played for Nottingham Forest last season, and as that contract expired at the end of June, he’s now a free agent and has been training with the Hammers intensively. As revealed by West Ham boss David Moyes, the 30-year-old forward is still to get to the level of fitness expected at a Premier League club, but the signs are promising and the doors for his return to the London Stadium remain open.

“He’s in really good condition – much better condition than he was when he first came in,” Moyes said.

“I have to say, when Jesse joined us two years ago I think he scored nine goals in 15 games and was probably the difference between us getting into Europe for the first time.

“I want to give him every opportunity to get himself back in condition and see how he does.

“So there’s no real update on it at the moment, just to say that he’s back and getting much closer to the levels of fitness where you’d hope he would be.”