READING, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Omar Richards of Reading during the Pre-Season Friendly between Reading and Crystal Palace at Madejski Stadium on July 28, 2018 in Reading, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
According to Reading Chronicle, West Ham have asked Reading FC about Omar Richards. The club, however, refused to entertain any talks before the player’s contract situation was sorted. Crystal Palace are said to be the other club who are interested.
Omar Richards is a 22-year-old English left-back who plays for Championship club Reading FC. He started his youth career at Fulham but moved to Reading’s youth setup in 2013. After spending a few seasons in the youth level, he was moved to the U-23s.
He played a total of 21 games for them, while scoring once and assisting twice. In 2017, he was finally promoted to the senior side. Since then, he has gone on to make 55 appearances for them, scoring thrice (source – Transfermarkt).
Richards has made just one appearance for the England U-21 side so far. The left-back can also play higher up the pitch as a wing-back or as a left-midfielder.
Currently, West Ham have Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku on their books as specialist left-backs. Yes, they haven’t exactly set the world alight with their performances but they do remain decent players who can get the job done.
With Cresswell and Masuaku already at manager David Moyes’ disposal, bringing in another player for the same position would be a waste of resources by the club.
Given that West Ham have two senior options at left-back already, Omar Richards’ transfer isn’t an absolute necessity. Moreover, youngster Ben Johnson can also fill in on the left-side of the defence if there is a need.
Hence, Richards isn’t a player who the club need at this point. Instead, they must look to reinforce other positions in the squad rather than wasting funds on another left-back. To summarize, West ham could do without the services of Richards.
