westhamfans.org

Hammers goal keeper Lukasz Fabianski is going to have a late fitness test just before the home tie against Burnley at the London Stadium this afternoon. Fabianski has missed the last two games with a thigh injury that threatens to de-rail a very stable defensive unit. Darren Randolph has deputised for Fabianski and looks likely to continue this afternoon.

The Barclays Premier League’s domestic rules currently only cover the top tier, stating that clubs may not have more than two players on loan at any one time, a total of only four loans in the season and not more than one player from the same club at any given time, there are no restrictions on how many players can be sent out on loan.

The problem clubs have when they sell a high profile player, is that all the other clubs know that (a) there is a need to replace the player, and (b) that the club has funds available from the sale, which means that selling clubs crank up the price of possible acquisitions, West Ham are not alone in experiencing this situation.