West Ham beat Everton to £3.7m deal for Championship ace

West Ham United have reportedly beaten Everton to the signing of Championship starlet Sam Byram, according to The Guardian.

The Hammers, who suffered a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United at the weekend, is seemingly the Leeds United player’s preferred destination this month after both clubs agreed initial £3.7m deals for the highly-rated full-back last week.

The 22-year-old, who has been with the Championship club since he was 12, has scored three goals in 24 appearances in all competitions for Steve Evans’ side this season,

It seems the probability of gaining more first-team opportunities at West Ham under boss Slaven Bilic this campaign, given the underwhelming performances of Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson, was a key factor in Byram’s decision.

Even Leeds owner Massimo Cellino commented, “I’m really sorry for Everton because they really acted like gentlemen, but Sam chose West Ham.”