Jebbison Headed for West Ham?

Most clubs have kept their summer transfer season on the low-key side, choosing to go for up-and-coming talent instead of star power. This has had an impact on the transfer market as a whole, not to mention the football betting promotions of the bookmakers who often speculate on who goes where. The upcoming transfer window, in turn, is expected to be exciting, with a number of high-profile players reportedly already on the radars of some high-profile clubs.

West Ham United is expected to be one of the clubs to upgrade their squads early next year. According to a recent report published by TEAMTalk, the days of Daniel Jebbison at Sheffield United are numbered. The January transfer window may see the in-form forward leave his club – or rather the club where he plays on loan, Burton Albion – and join the Hammers for the rest of the season.

All the way from Canada

Considering how low the following of association football (soccer, as they call it) is in North America, it is a bit surprising to see players from that region break into the European football scene. Daniel Jebbison is one of the exceptions.

Jebbison started playing football with Canadian semi-professional club ANB Futbol in 2009, at the age of 6, based in King, Ontario, some 30 miles from his native Oakville. He relocated to England with his mother, who moved over the pond for work and joined the youth academy of Sheffield United. He moved through the club’s U18 and U21 development sides, then joined the first team, immediately leaving on loan to Chorley, then to League One team Burton Albion.

Since graduating from Sheffield’s academy, he has played in four Premier League games, scoring one goal, and two Championship games. During his stay at Burton upon Trent, he played in 14 matches and scored six times.

A recall is not on the table at this time

Although he was courted by several other clubs, Jebbison chose to play with Burton Albion to learn from the Brewers’ own Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who had a successful career as a striker with Chelsea.

Speaking to the Sheffield Star late last month, Hasselbaink revealed that, although his contract does have a recall clause, the Blades have not acted on it yet. Truth be told, Sheffield has enough players in attacking positions. At the same time, the interest in the Canadian youngster seems to be growing from all directions. Among the clubs that are reportedly keeping tabs on him, we find big names like Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig, as well as Liverpool, Everton, and, of course, West Ham.

Jebbison would be a perfect match with West Ham, considering that he ticks so many boxes that David Moyes loves: he is young, fast, and strong.