Rob Newman watches Djibril Sow at Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund as West Ham United step up bid to replace Declan Rice
West Ham want to sign Eintracht Frankfurt star Djibril Sow as a Declan Rice replacement this summer after Rob Newman watched him in action.
The Hammers are expected to lose Rice to a Champions League club this summer, with Arsenal currently seen as the frontrunners for his signature ahead of Chelsea.
And the club are already planning their move to replace the captain with the Bundesliga ace, with the head of recruitment watching him live in the flesh during their recent clash with Borussia Dortmund according to The Mirror (1 May).
“West Ham head of recruitment Rob Newman is believed to have watched Eintracht Frankfurt’s Swiss midfielder Djibril Sow as a potential replacement for Rice at the recent Bundesliga clash with Borussia Dortmund,” they wrote.
Shrewd
Sow is entering the final year of his contract in Germany and has got plenty of top level experience, having played in every game for Switzerland at the most recent World Cup before they were eliminated.
His style of play is similar to Rice’s, with powerful runs and decent passing to go along with his excellent defensive brain and energy off the ball.
It’s unclear how much Sow would cost the club, but with Rice expected to go for anything between £80-100m during the summer there is no doubt West Ham would have plenty of money to play with and strengthen the squad.
Sow is likely not the only option to replace Rice, with several players linked, but it is a situation that the board and the manager can’t get wrong considering his importance to the side.
That position is so important and Rice is one of the best in the world. Finding someone of that level will be nearly impossible, but we can work hard to get the squad stronger in multiple areas.