Sevilla are hopeful that their star striker Youssef En-Nesyri will sign a new contract and reject interest from West Ham this summer according to a report by 90min.
En-Nesyri is only just over a year into his contract with Sevilla after making the switch from Leganes in January 2020. But the 23-year-old Moroccan has progressed considerably since then and has scored 13 goals in La Liga this season – one more than Karim Benzema – and 17 in all competitions.
Sevilla immediately rejected advances from the Hammers in January when David Moyes confirmed West Ham made a bid for En-Nesyri which was reported to have been £27m including add-ons.
It later emerged that the player had no intention of leaving with his agent, Anass Ouzifi, explaining that even a huge hike in his wages would not alter the situation.
He told ABC Sevilla in January (translated via Sports Witness): “They asked me what was Youssef’s situation. I told them directly that it didn’t matter, that Youssef didn’t want to leave Sevilla, that he wouldn’t.
“They insisted and told me if they could offer something. I explained the situation well to them. Youssef is very happy in Seville, very grateful to the club and his teammates. Feels the affection of the fans.”
And the club’s sporting director Monchi has now lifted the lid on the Hammers winter approach saying.
“What they offered us, I am not saying it was ridiculous because it was not, but it did not satisfy our sporting satisfaction, the negotiation lasted one day,” he told Diario de Sevilla (translated via Sport Witness).
If David Moyes thinks he could fit in playing-wise, personality-wise, physically and culturally (not everyone wants to come to a wet English-speaking country after all), then that’s good enough for me, but I do have some concerns.
1. If he doesn’t want to leave Seville, then don’t bother. If he wants to come to the Premiership but doesn’t mind which club he plays for, then I still have doubts. Only if he wants to come to West Ham and help us improve would be enough for me.
2. We have a recent track record of big-money signings coming from other less-physical leagues not working out. Assuming we have the money required (£40 million?), should be put it all on one player – again? I’m more in favour of getting value for talent either from the UK or our go-to market of the Czech Republic which has worked so spectacularly for us. For this sum, we could be able to get 2 or more of the following – 2 strikers, a defensive midfielder as back up to the dynamic duo, a left back or a young keeper. If we play a finders fee to top scout Tomas Soucek I’d have no concerns that his recommendations would have a great chance of fitting right in with the demands of the Premiership and, dare I say it, David Moyes’s new West Ham Way.
But I trust Moyes’s judgement and I’ll support any player in the claret and blue.
Finders fee? I think the recommendations would be coming in thick and fast. Trevor Sinclair could give us 100 names for starters. Bound to be one or two that stick. How could we ever check?
If they were all like Coufal – we’re in. As for positions, the players we ‘need’ might not be playing in those positions right now. The best centre forward or Principal Attacker in the Premier League at the moment, Michail Antonio, has had to wait 5 years playing out of position and being labelled defender, midfielder and winger as he happily contributed to the greater good of the team. Only when the ‘expensive’, purpose bought CFs were out of the side was Michail allowed to show the world his brilliance in this position.
I’m with you GODaze – leave it to the team builders, David Moyes and company.
We are doing unbelievably well this season. If it all stopped now I would still be happy. So much to see again on MotD recordings.
COYI