By Anthony Onifade

30th Jan, 2023 | 4:00pm

West Ham United miss out on Terem Moffi as Lorient agree £26.4m deal with Nice

West Ham have failed in their pursuit of FC Lorient striker Terem Moffi, with the Nigerian international close to joining Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice after a £26.4 million fee was agreed upon, according to L’Equipe.

TalkSPORT reported on 16 January that West Ham United had made a £20million offer for the 23-year-old forward, one which was rejected by the Ligue 1 club.

Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor reported [23 January] that Moffi wasn’t keen on a move to the London Stadium, instead favouring staying in France and preferring to join Nice.

And according to French outlet L’Equipe [30 January], the two French clubs have agreed a deal on a transfer with Moffi expected to sign for Nice for a fee of around £26.4million.

Tracked by West Ham and Marseille, the forward favoured a move to Nice, “seduced by the prospect of being the head of the gondola of the INEOS project.”

Move On

It was clear Moffi was favouring a stay in France, and when West Ham received those indications, it was important for the club to move on from pursuing him.

The club have much more pressing situations they can control and the most urgent one is staying in the English top-flight rather than getting embroiled in unlikely transfer sagas.

Certainly, the Hammers have struggled for goals so far this season netting just 17 goals in 20 games, a record that has sees them fall to just a point above the Premier League relegation zone.

But with Gianluca Scamacca soon returning from injury and Michail Antonio likely staying this month, Moyes must do with the options he’s got right now.

A mark of a good manager is one who makes the most of what he has at his disposal and these next few weeks will certainly be a test of Moyes’ managerial credentials. The rebuild will come in the summer.