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Liverpool are believed to be plotting a move for a West Ham star, but could the Hammers use the situation to their advantage?
After last year’s disappointing summer transfer window, Graham Potter is tasked with trying to reshape the West Ham team in his image as he prepares for his first full season in charge.
As it stands, the Hammers are 16th in the table with just 34 points from 29 games, and if it wasn’t for the dreadful form of the three newly promoted teams, the east-London club would find themselves in a relegation battle.
It’s a far cry from where the West Ham faithful expect to see their team, particularly after parting ways with David Moyes for a big-name in 2020 Europa League winner Julen Lopetegui while also spending a staggering amount of £122m on new players only to fall seven places lower in the Premier League table.
Potter is an experienced operator in the transfer window and one that knows how to function on a tighter budget as he has proven throughout his time at Brighton and previously Swansea City. And he faces yet another huge task to re-establish the Hammers as a European calibre team after a second year out in the cold.
West Ham face interest in Mohammed Kudus
Part of the parcel that comes with non-European qualification is interest around club’s marquee players and one player, despite an underwhelming season, who is the subject of interest is thought to be Mohammed Kudus. The Ghanaian international, who arrived from Ajax, scored eight and registered six assists in his first full Premier League season last term and was central to the club’s progression to the Europa League quarter-final with five goals in nine games against a number of high calibre European sides.
The 24-year-old is blessed with excellent technical ability, great agility, speed and has the qualities to unlock some of Europe’s tightest defences in full flow. However, according to TBR Football, the winger, who has scored just three goals in 24 matches this season, could be sold to raise money for new recruits in other areas of the pitch as Potter looks to rebuild West Ham.
Despite his poor output this term, Liverpool are understood to be strong admirers of the former Ajax man to enhance their squad options and give them further attacking qualities to thrive on multiple fronts after a dismal March which saw the league leaders fall short in the Carabao Cup final and exit the Champions League in the round-of-16. In addition, the 24-year-old is open to a move and he does have a release clause this summer worth £85 million, although it’s highly unlikely he will move for that amount.
The intriguing Liverpool swap deal West Ham could look to strike
West Ham’s Achilles heel this season has been goals, with the Hammers finding the net just 33 times in 29 appearances - which is 16 less than the amount they had managed at this point last season. The London Stadium club have been almost exclusively reliant on the goal-scoring output of winger Jarrod Bowen (7) (nine less than last season) with the remainder of their team barring Tomas Soukek (also 7) all failing to find the net five or more times.
Injuries to summer signing Niclas Fullkrug along with a serious car accident to the ever-reliable Michail Antonio, have left the club short on striker options, which in turn can explain Kudus’ poor output this season, with the winger particularly in January, being shoehorned into the centre forward position despite being a natural winger.
“I think Mo has had probably a season that, from his perspective, would be a little bit disappointing, not because of his lack of effort or anything like that, but sometimes these things happen,” Explained Potter, via London World.
“Speaking personally, he’s been great with us in terms of how he’s worked every day, fantastic. He has built his fitness up, built his condition up to the point where he can sustain things a lot better now. Football can go like that sometimes. You can have a little spell when it doesn’t quite happen for you in front of goal or your final pass just doesn’t quite get there. It doesn’t take much to turn that round.”
With more players around him it seems almost inevitable that Kudus would get more numbers in a Liverpool shirt which could rejuvenate his career but how could West Ham benefit from proceedings?
Quite simply, that would be by signing a proven striker that can take the team forward. One potential option in that department could be Darwin Nunez, who according to Football Insider, is no longer a part of Arne Slot’s long-term vision after failing to hit the ground running in the Dutchman’s first season at Anfield. Nunez is a striker that arrived to great fanfare after scoring 26 goals in 28 games during his final season at Benfica but he has a mixed record overall at Liverpool with 40 goals in 136 appearances across all competitions.
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However, many of these appearances have been from the sub bench and though his finishing ability has at times been criticised by Liverpool fans, one factor that has never come under question is his incredible pace, movement and his positional sense which almost always make him a threat around opposition defences.
Baring in mind, Evan Ferguson is worth an estimated £40m after failing to score in five games - and the fact that Nunez is more accomplished than the Irishman in the Premier League, it might make sense for Liverpool to make a cut-price bid for the Uruguayan while including Kudus as part of the deal.
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