AMSTERDAM — With his club set to slash salary, Ingolstadt forward Edson Buddle is on trial with Championship side West Ham United this week.
The US international's agent, Richard Motzkin, confirmed the news via Twitter on Monday evening. Despite various German reports hinting that Buddle was in hot water with new manager Tomas Oral, MLSsoccer.com has learned the striker was allowed to leave the team before last week's win over St. Pauli because the relegation fighters have been directed to trim the budget.
Just third among squad forwards in field time this season, the 30-year-old New York native leads Ingolstadt with six goals in 2.Bundesliga play. Since joining from the LA Galaxy as a free agent last winter, Buddle has hit nine times in 31 league outings.
West Ham have two Americans — midfielder Sebastian Lletget and wingback Danny Potts — in the reserves. The Hammers are one point shy of the top heading into a Boxing Day trip to face former handyman Jonathan Spector and Birmingham City.
Buddle, a veteran of the 2010 World Cup, would need to win on appeal to gain a work permit in the United Kingdom, as he does not meet the US national team cap percentage requirement for automatic approval.
