West Ham United must do all they can to seal Michail Antonio replacement in Elye Wahi as transfer news emerges
West Ham United want to sign Montpellier striker Elye Wahi as a potential replacement for Michail Antonio and the Hammers must fight tooth and nail to secure his signature this summer.
According to 90Min (21 July), the Hammers have their eye on the 20-year-old Montpellier forward to bolster their attacking weaponry, especially if Antonio departs the club this summer.
Sky Sports reported on 20 July that the East Londoners are in “very early” talks with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq over a move for Antonio and Wahi has now emerged as a potential target but West Ham face stiff competition for his signature from several Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea.
Following the £105m sale of Declan Rice, the Hammers will certainly be undergoing a major rebuild this summer to ensure David Moyes’ is able to compete from the get-go once the season kicks off in mid-August.
While finding a replacement for the England international remains the top priority right now, following talks for several potential targets, the need to sign a striker should be well on the club’s list this summer too.
Antonio certainly isn’t the only striker who could potentially depart the club, with Italian forward Gianluca Scamacca also attracting plenty of interest from his native country.
Given the desperate market for strikers these days, West Ham United will need to move fast to secure any potential target and Wahi certainly fits the bill given his profile and stunning potential but it’s clear the East Londoners face a stiff fight for his signature, but it’s a fight the Hammers must bring all the tools they require to compete for the Frenchman’s signature.
The young forward scored a sensational 19 goals and assisted five others in just 33 Ligue 1 appearances last term, making him quite the exciting prospect for West Ham United supporters.
The youngster is also a three-cap and one-goal France Under-21s international, and he has represented his country at Under-20, Under-19, Under-18, Under-17 and Under-16 level, too, showing that he has been considered a prospect for a number of years now.
David Moyes is believed to be eyeing fresh young talents this summer, but acquiring them won’t be easy, that’s why the East Londoners secured the help of new technical director Tim Steidten and the German could prove a useful tool in securing Wahi’s services.
The Frenchman not only possesses the capabilities to score goals, but he fits Moyes’ transitional-based system to a tee given the number of goals he scored on the counter for Montpellier last season, possessing searing pace, power, unerring technical skill on the ball and a finishing quality that makes him one of Europe’s most devastating young strikers.
At just 20, he has already shown that he can excel in one of Europe’s big five leagues, and while the step up to the Premier League is still great, he has all the time in the world to mature as a player and adjust to life in the division.
This is a signing West Ham United must fight tooth and nail for.
In other West Ham news, European giants could turn their attentions to exit-linked West Ham star following a £50m blow at Arsenal.