West Ham United midfielder Robert Snodgrass is being linked with a move away from the London Stadium this summer with a host of Premier League and Championship clubs reportedly interested in securing his services.
Snodgrass' availability may come as a surprise to many considering he only joined the Hammers in January but after failing to impress in his short time at the club, Slaven Bilic is said to be willing to offload the midfielder.
A top midfielder at Championship level
The 29-year-old has proven himself to be a quality midfielder in his career so far. If he does decide to make the drop down back into the second tier, it is unlikely to be long before he eventually returns to the top flight.
He began his career at Scottish side Livingston after he broke through the youth academy in 2003. He went on to make 79 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals in the process. He then decided to make the move to Leeds United in 2008, who at the time found themselves stuck in League One. He soon became a fan's favourite at Elland Road and went on to make 168 appearances for the club, scoring 35 goals during a four-year spell.
Following his successful spell at Leeds, he earned himself a shot at the Premier League as he sealed a move to Norwich City in 2012 for an undisclosed fee. He had a very successful spell at Carrow Road and came second place in the club's Player of the Season awards in his first season. He made a total of 67 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals over a two-year period which ended with relegation at the end of the 2013/14 season.
He was given an opportunity to continue his stint in the top flight by Hull City as he joined on a three-year contract following a £6 million deal in June 2014. However, he did not get off to the best start as he suffered from a dislocated knee cap which saw him ruled out for the majority of the season. He did recover and go on to make 45 appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals in the process.
A rocky few months for Snodgrass
Despite returning to the Premier League for the 2016/17 season, Hull were still struggling to keep hold of their star assets in the transfer window. Snodgrass remained at the club despite speculation about a move last summer but eventually left the club in January to join West Ham for a fee of around £10.2 million.
However, since joining the Hammers he has really struggled to make an impact in what turned out to be a poor season for the club. He only managed to make 15 appearances for the club which largely came off the substitutes bench. He is also yet to find the back of the net for his new club.
This has resulted in Bilic looking to offload the midfielder this summer and cut the club's losses on what has turned out to be a poor piece of business on their part. It is unlikely that the club would be willing to accept a fee much less than what they paid for the player in January but they could be up to negotiate in order to get him off their books.
A huge coup for someone
Many Championship sides have already been linked with the midfielder since the news of his possible availability has broken. The likes of Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough all said to be interested in securing his services.
All of these sides will be looking to push for promotion at the top end of the division next season and the addition of Snodgrass would be a real statement of intent. His quality could be the difference between being promoted to the top flight or remaining in The Championship for another season. Boro may be in a better position to strike a deal than Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday as they are backed by significant parachute payments having only recently been relegated from the top flight.
However, despite this serious interest from Championship clubs, it does remain most likely that Snodgrass will remain in the Premier League next season. Newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion are said to be interested and the fact they can offer top flight football will put them in good stead to get a deal over the line. Chris Hughton has already added Matthew Ryan and Pascal Gross to his squad ahead of next season and may be looking at Snodgrass for his next potential addition.