Mechelen poised for West Ham link-up

Mechelen are on the verge of a deal with West Ham United that would see the Belgian team receive players on loan in return for being a feeder club for the English Premiership side.

Leading Flemish sports paper Het Nieuwsblad is reporting that talks between the clubs are in advances stages after Mechelen's new commercial manager Geert Lermyte visited London last Friday to discuss the deal

The set-up would be similar to that between Mechelen's Jupiler League rivals Royal Antwerp and Premiership champions Manchester United.

West Ham would loan some of their players to De Maneblussers, who would act as a sort of nursery club for the Hammers - nurturing young talent from outside the European Union. Mechelen would receive financial compensation for players brought in for these purposes.

Manchester United announced that they would use Antwerp for similar purposes but, after two years, no foreign players have moved to Antwerp at the request of the Old Trafford club.

A first sign of the link could be the arrival at Mechelen early next year of West Ham defender Hayden Foxe. The Australia international is awaiting a work permit and is unable to play for the Hammers, but could well go to the Belgian side until the end of April. Foxe is injured at present but should be fit for the resumption of the Belgian season on January 20.

Mechelen have recently appointed a new technical director in Aad De Mos, who almost immediately put 11 players up for sale.

Although a relatively small club, Mechelen were the last Belgian side to win a European trophy. In 1988, they beat Ajax 1-0 in Strasbourg to win the European Cup Winners' Cup.