According to Sky Sports, several Sky Bet Championship clubs, such as Blackburn and Preston, will not be snapping up West Ham midfielder Josh Cullen on loan. This is because, quite simply, West Ham wish to keep him, having impressed new Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini in pre-season.
The 22-year-old is yet to really stamp his authority on the first team scene with the club so far, but this could very much be the season which he does so. Separate loan spells at Bradford City in recent seasons certainly increases his standing within the game. He also spent time at Bolton Wanderers last season, where he made 12 appearances. Cullen though will be staying at the London Stadium, it would appear.
It is believed that many clubs in the second tier were monitoring his situation with particular interest. The source has named two of those sides as Blackburn and Preston. Tony Mowbray is looking to bolster his Rovers side this summer following promotion back into this league at the first attempt. Clearly wanting to avoid another relegation scrap, he wants battlers in his side. Alex Neil has been busy at Deepdale this summer too in adding new faces to his group. He still feels as though there is room for one or two more, but Cullen will not be one of those.
Pellegrini seemingly rates the player highly and many West Ham fans believe he could be the next Mark Noble. His challenge now is to win a spot in the side for when their Premier League campaign gets going in August.
