Julen Lopetegui to break West Ham United transfer curse with Youssef En-Nesyri deal
Dan Bardell believes Youssef En-Nesyri could be an option for West Ham United as they look to solve their striker curse next season.
The Moroccan has been linked with a move to London Stadium [AS, 4 June], with a £25million offer potentially enough to sign him.
The Hammers are in the market for a striker after a quiet season on the goalscoring front for Michail Antonio and Danny Ings.
Sky Sports and talkSPORT journalist Bardell believes Julen Lopetegui may look to bring in the 27-year-old, who he has worked with before at Sevilla.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Bardell said: “He’s a player who has scored goals wherever he’s been. He’s looked good at international level in tournament football as well.
“The striker market is the hardest to get right. I think it’s so hard and West Ham are evidence of that. They’ve tried players like [Gianluca] Scamacca, and there have been other examples like Sebastien Haller who have gone elsewhere and been good.
“It is a position that seems to be cursed for West Ham. It wouldn’t surprise me if they sign a striker this window to try and replace Antonio.“
West Ham United interested in Sevilla ace Youssef En-Nesyri
The Hammers have had very public and well-documented struggles with signing a striker capable of scoring goals consistently.
Antonio was signed as a winger and often featured as a full-back earlier in his career at the Boleyn Ground and London Stadium.
The fact that he has been the club’s best striker over the years says it all about the form of his teammates, with no disrespect to the Jamaican international.
Haller has just played in a Champions League final while Scamacca has just played a key role in winning the Europa League with Atalanta.
Now with Lopetegui in charge, he could look to use a reliable source of goals from a previous club in En-Nesyri, who he signed for Sevilla.
The Moroccan is good in the press while also being dominant in the air, which could make him a useful asset and point of difference.
This could be the move that ends the striker concerns that the club have had over the years… Lopetegui will hope so, anyway.
In other West Ham news, United are to pay the full tax bill for Palmeiras ace Luis Guilherme.
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