Maxwel Cornet must ditch West Ham United in January to save career, David Moyes may never start him again
West Ham United forward Maxwel Cornet has become an unfortunate afterthought at the London Stadium and should already have one eye on a possible exit in January to save his career.
The Hammers purchased the Ivory Coast winger from Burnley for £17.5m (Sky Sports) last summer but has barely featured either side of five months out with a rare calf injury.
The 27-year-old appeared to be on his way out of East London in the summer transfer window but stayed put as a move to Everton fell through due to concerns over his injury record.
The 27-year-old arrived in East London to much fanfare and optimism, on the back of an impressive first season in the Premier League with the Clarets, where he registered nine goals and registered two assists in 28 appearances despite relegation.
But following a few outings off the bench for the Irons, he was struck down with an injury that kept him out all the way up until March to make it a difficult start for him at the London Stadium.
He failed to register a single top-flight goal or assist in his 14 games last season, but he laid on five assists in Europe for the Hammers in some sort of consolation on a difficult debut campaign.
The 2023/24 campaign has started in a similar vein and his place in the team was plunged deeper into dangerous territory when West Ham United acquired the services of Mohammed Kudus from Ajax.
The Hammers have desperately needed an out-an-out winger to balance their play with Jarrod Bowen on the right flank, but Moyes seems to prefer Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals when Cornet is arguably the out-an-out option they’ve required.
Cornet can also feature at left-back and at left wing-back but those positions certainly aren’t on David Moyes’ agenda for him. However, he was given a rare start against Lincoln City in the EFL Cup back at the back end of September but desperately failed to take the opportunity.
As per Sofascore, Cornet lost possession of the ball on eight separate occasions during the game, failed to register a single key pass a single shot, completed just one of his crosses at a rate of 33% and barely touched the ball with just 29 touches, completing 85% of his passes.
The Ivorian also was nowhere to be seen going towards his goal, winning just one of his ground duels in another unconvincing performance.
He was deservedly hooked off after 66 minutes and it’s uncertain to determine when he could make another West Ham United start again under Moyes, and their recent form suggests the Scot will not want to dramatically change a winning formula despite the club competing on all fronts so far.
Injuries have played a massive part in Cornet’s downfall in East London but his lack of minutes will be a personal concern for him given he is currently in his prime years and he is clearly out in the cold under Moyes which means the best solution for all parties is to part ways in January.
In other West Ham news, Moyes may have to brutally axe one London Stadium regular v Aston Villa after recent poor performances, a ready-made replacement is certainly right under his nose.