West Ham have postponed contract talks with fullback Ben Johnson until the end of the season, according to reports in England.
The 22-year-old has just eighteen months remaining on his current deal and fans on Twitter are split on whether the defender is deserving of a bumper contract extension:
Great – Another Ngakia situation. 🙄
— ⚒ AJ ⚒ (@northwesthammer) December 22, 2022
He’s not all that, no need to panic at all.
— Ginger Tom⚒️ (@tomcoyi92) December 22, 2022
That’s not good news! Sort of player we need to have as a long term member of the team. Can see him getting better and better with more game time.
— West Ham Nonsense (@WestHamNonsense) December 22, 2022
He’s rubbish. Let him go and get someone decent in.
— Stephen Burridge (@Stephen42640498) December 23, 2022
Needs sorting good squad player
— Martyn (@MartynHutch063) December 22, 2022
He’s not good enough anyways
— Matt Davey⚒ (@Daveyboymarra) December 22, 2022
Sign him up. He’s homegrown, plays across the back 4 and always gives 100%. He’ll only get better too.
— Irons (@Ironsandlions) December 22, 2022
He is useful but let’s face it, he is essentially a backup squad player. His contract offer will reflect that surely?..
— Darryl Quigley (@Paolodiquigley) December 22, 2022
Fans want players to develop.. without making any mistakes. The amount of games we play, we need players like him. I remember Rio etc giving away goals. The guy’s being written off by some at the grand old age of 22.
— James Reading (@JReadingAloud87) December 23, 2022
As some supporters have mentioned, Johnson hasn’t exactly set the world alight with his performances for the Hammers this season, but it does look like it could be yet another case where the club’s board fails to reach an agreement to extend an academy player’s contract.
Harrison Ashby, Sonny Perkins and Jeremy Ngakia are just a few other recent examples, where youngsters have decided to move elsewhere.
It should be pointed out that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham were all linked with Johnson earlier this year and they are likely to be keeping tabs on the right-back’s situation. If he joins a club of that stature on a free transfer at the end of his current deal, that would be a major blow.
