“Interesting” – Pundit reacts as West Ham eye Luton Town transfer raid

West Ham are keen on bringing Luton Town goalkeeper Tim Krul to the London Stadium, as revealed by Alan Nixon via his Patreon account.

According to Nixon, the top-flight side’s interest in the Hatters man comes after talks with Wes Foderingham, who recently confirmed his departure from Sheffield United, stalled.

Krul has had a successful career, and has made 222 Premier League appearances, with the majority coming for Newcastle United, who he regularly played for from 2009-2016, following loan spells from the Magpies at Falkirk and Carlisle.

Having signed for the Hatters last summer, the ex-Netherlands international did not register a single league appearance, but did make four outings in the FA Cup and two in the EFL Cup.

The former England international and current pundit exclusively told Football League World: “It has been reported that West Ham are plotting a move for 36-year-old goalkeeper Tim Krul.

“The 36-year-old has only made, last season, appearances in the domestic cup competitions.

“Krul signed for Luton Town in the summer of 2023 as back-up to Thomas Kaminksi, and he could face a situation if he stays at Kenilworth Road where he will be in a quartet of goalkeepers competing for action.

“I’d imagine, if not sold in the summer, Thomas Kaminski will be first choice with Tim Krul, James Shea and Jack Walton vying for action.

“It’s unknown the length of Krul’s contract, but I can imagine if there’s genuine interest from West Ham, then Luton will be interested in moving the goalkeeper along.

“If you’re going to West Ham, of course, you’re not going to go as first-choice goalkeeper, and you’re maybe just going to be, again, the same as back up and only playing in the cup competitions.

“Why you’d want to do that as a goalkeeper at 36 with very little lifetime left in your footballing career, I don’t know.

“Surely you’d move somewhere where you could get regular first team football, even if you’ve got to drop down to the Championship to do that.

“Now, it may be that if the first team situation changes at Luton Town, then he could well be the number one in the Championship next season.

“As I say, there’s no evidence as to the length of his contract, or whether he’s out of contract in the summer, but the talk that’s coming out of Luton Town is that they would listen to offers for Tim Krul given they’re top-heavy with goalkeepers on their return to the Championship.”

As mentioned by Palmer, Krul is nearing the end of his career, which means that he now has to decide whether he wants regular first-team football, or if he is content with playing second fiddle and offering tutelage to younger players as a veteran.

If he joined West Ham, the Dutchman would retain the current squad role he has with the Hatters, but if he stayed at Kenilworth Road he could become first-choice, should the club receive offers for Kaminski.

On the other hand, it would be hard to blame Krul for taking one last Premier League paycheck prior to retiring in the coming years, a decision he could be tempted to make given the fact he is already a back-up keeper at present.