West Ham battle to sign ‘Sadio Mane’s replacement’ alongside Callum Wilson arrival
West Ham have been in need of a signing to set their summer business alight.
The Hammers have so far only added three new faces to their squad at the London Stadium, with Callum Wilson being the most recent on a free transfer.
With that being said, further deals would certainly be welcomed by the claret and blue faithful, especially one that would get them off their feet.
That appears to be exactly what the Irons are keen on doing before the new Premier League campaign begins in just over a week’s time.
This could be done with a teenager who has managed to outshine former Liverpool star Sadio Mane in recent months, something which can’t be sniffed at.
West Ham want Senegal star Idrissa Gueye
As it stands, the Hammers have a general lack of dynamism in the number nine position with Niclas Fullkrug and Wilson.
The latter does have some pace to his game, but at 33, that has begun to fall away, especially as injury concerns have continued to grow.
As a result, bringing in a youthful talent who can represent stern competition in that role for the future would be a huge boost.
This has seen West Ham be linked with Metz forward Idrissa Gueye, and they are desperate to sign the £13million-rated teenager.
The Hammers are reportedly fighting against the likes of Southampton, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund to land his signature this summer.
Coming off the back of a campaign with seven goal involvements in just 13 Ligue 2 starts, 18-year-old Gueye was handed a call-up to the Senegal national team.
| Stat | Idrissa Gueye |
| Appearances | 17 |
| Goals | 6 |
| Assists | 1 |
This has seen the striker feature once, while being an unused substitute for clashes against the Republic of Ireland and England in June.
After that inclusion on the international stage, FC Metz coach Stephane Le Mignan told Wiw Sport (30 May): “I told him he’d pushed Sadio Mané aside. That’s not bad for a debut!”
Gueye could be just what West Ham need
Given that Wilson has signed for free, he is bound to have assurances in his deal that allow for regular first-team minutes in claret and blue.
That is also likely to be the case for Fullkrug, given his experience at a high level before joining the Hammers last summer.
- Wilson has scored 88 goals across 239 appearances in the Premier League
- Fullkrug has netted 162 times in his 17-year playing career
As a result, a young talent who could benefit from the watchful eye of Graham Potter in the Premier League could be exactly what the English head coach needs in his squad.
This is especially the case given that Gueye has seemingly pushed Mane aside for Senegal moving forward into the new season.
Sign up for the West Ham Zone WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Ham United news sent straight to your phone.