It would be a mistake to sell Stewart Downing

Plenty of rumours in the press that Stewart Downing might be sold, with Sunderland, Newcastle, and Leicester all interested and an apparent offer of £5m from Sunderland already turned down. Stewart might be keen on a return to the north-east for personal reasons, but it would surely be a mistake to sell him. Yes, Dimitri Payet might possibly take over his role as playmaker, but with the number of games West Ham are going to play this season Downing is still set to get a large number of games and can play in midfield, out wide and as an emergency left back. It might be tempting to get our money back for a 30-year-old, but with the amount of assists Downing made last season (eight) and his five goals we need to keep him.