Cornet and a Cullen connection?

By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings

Is there  a reason why Maxwel Cornet appears to have come so readily while Kostic and Onana were reportedly umming and ahing for so long before disappearing off the radar?

Maybe our other recent big money transfer Gianluca Scamacca gave us a clue when he revealed prior to signing he had spoken to former Hammer and Sassuolo team mate Pedro Obiang about West Ham as a club, its fans and our tradition.

Pedro loved the time he spent in east London and said so in glowing terms. He told Scamacca the move would be perfect for him. It was an intervention that may have been crucial.

There is no hard evidence to suggest it, but perhaps Maxwel Cornet sought a similar informed ear of new Burnley team mate Josh Cullen when their paths crossed at Turf Moor.

Cullen epitomises the ‘once a Hammer always a Hammer’ narrative. He would surely have spoken if asked in glowing terms of the club where he grew up.

Having been with West Ham since junior level, it didn’t quite happen here for Josh, always on the fringes of the first team but never quite making that final breakthrough.

But after a couple of productive loan spells at Charlton followed by a move to RSC Anderlecht in Belgium, where he played under Vincent Company, Cullen has now followed Company to Turf Moor – finally hoping to shine in a claret and blue shirt.

Meanwhile. Cornet has already made a name for himself in the north west and is now swapping his Lancastrian claret and blue for the London version.

Did Josh Cullen play any part, however small, in convincing Maxwel Cornet it would be a good move for him to head south? He could well have done you know – and it makes a really good story if he did.