West Ham United had an offer for Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken rejected before the transfer window closed, the player has confirmed.
While defensive reinforcements were the priority for the Hammers, adding strength in depth in midfield would have been a welcome move.
West Ham failed in their efforts to bolster David Moyes’ squad and as such now are running out of time to try and find new players from the Football League.
The Hammers were linked with Vanaken, who has impressed for Brugge in recent years – with the 28-year-old confirming that the Belgian side knocked back an advance from the Irons for his services.
“It’s true that Club refused a bid, but that has always been communicated correctly,” he told Sporza.
“In the end, Club Brugge made an effort towards me. If I really wanted to go, I might have played it dirtier, but that’s not how I am. It also shows the respect that there is between me and the club.”
West Ham are looking short in midfield after Josh Cullen was allowed to join Anderlecht, while Felipe Anderson is set to spend the 2020-21 season on loan with Porto.
Vanaken would have been an interesting signing but with the Hammers’ limited budget and the fact the player appears content at his current club, a deal was never close to completion.
West Ham are reliant on the likes of Declan Rice, Mark Noble and Tomas Soucek in the heart of their side, but don’t have huge amounts of options other than this trio.
The Hammers results have improved since Moyes switched to a three-man defence, with emphatic victories over both Wolves and Leicester in the side’s last two Premier League games.