WHZ Tactics: Lyon’s Dembele could be perfect Antonio upgrade for West Ham
West Ham have been linked with a move to sign former Celtic man Moussa Dembele from Lyon this month.
RMC Sport journalist Loic Tanzi claims that the Hammers would like to bring in the Frenchman as a replacement for Sebastien Haller, who has joined Ajax in a £20.5mililon deal.
If the Hammers can strike a deal for the Frenchman, they might just be getting their hands on the perfect number nine for David Moyes’ system.
Michail Antonio has been a huge success under Moyes since his return to West Ham and a huge element of his game is his willingness and his commendable work rate.
Dembele shares that same drive and could fit seamlessly into Moyes’ side. Below, we see shades of Antonio in Dembele’s game during a recent clash against Brest in Ligue 1.
The striker’s press on the Brest goalkeeper forces a mistake, as he then gives the ball away and presents Lyon with a golden opportunity to score.
His defensive contribution when Lyon do not have the ball is noticeable and below we see an example where he does excellently to win the ball back and spring a counter-attack.
Forging goalscoring opportunities by breaking at speed have been a big part of West Ham’s success this season, so it is easy to see how Dembele could potentially fit into the side.
One of the many reasons that Sebastien Haller struggled to succeed during his time in London was his inability to hold the ball up and bring those around him into play.
Dembele does not appear to be phased by such responsibilities and you can see below just how deep he is willing to drop deep against a stubborn Brest defence to try and get on the ball.
The striker’s in-game intelligence was once again on show during Lyon’s recent victory against FC Metz.
Below, we see a brilliant piece of hold up play, where Dembele starts a move that results in a goalscoring opportunity when not an awful lot appeared to be on for Lyon.
Dembele manages to take the ball under control and turn before playing it back to Lucas Paqueta, who sets Karl Toko-Ekambi through on goal.
Much like Antonio, Dembele is proving to be something of a nuisance for defenders, regardless of what point the game is at.
Below, we see a clever piece of movement from Dembele, who draws the Metz defensive line up, before quickly spinning and turning in an attempt to try and get in behind.
By this point in the game, Lyon have the match wrapped up, as they lead 3-1 in the final seconds.
However, Dembele does enough to not only get in behind but also bring the ball down and lure the Metz ‘keeper off his line and open up a potential goalscoring opportunity.
It is fair to say that Dembele’s season has not quite kicked on in the way he would have hoped.
So far this season, he has one Ligue 1 goal in 16 league appearances, but as you can see above, there are certain traits to his game and similarities that he shares with a fully fit Antonio.
It remains to be seen if West Ham will be able to lure Dembele to London, but on this evidence, he could be a fantastic upgrade on Antonio if Moyes wants to take his Hammers side to the next level.
In other West Ham news, Hammers target Marcus Edwards shuts down transfer speculation with a new contract