Zero Interest Leaves West Ham With £17M Salthouse Client Problem

One player noticeably absent from the bench against Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup for last Saturday’s game was Maxwel Cornet, who has made some fleeting appearances in previous pre-season games.

The former Ivory Coast international has had an injury-riddled career, and the club are remaining tight-lipped about his recent absence, including from a recent training video, fuelling suggestions that an injury may have curtailed further involvement in the first-team squad, or the club are unwilling to risk him in order to help facilitate a move away.

Cornet Enters Final Year Of West Ham Deal

Now aged 29, Cornet enters the final year of his five-year West Ham contract, having made just nineteen appearances since 2024 for both Southampton and Genoa, whilst on loan. Indeed, since signing for West Ham in 2022 from Burnley, he has only notched up 21 appearances, weighing in with one goal, in January 2024 during a 2-2 away draw at Sheffield United.

With the arrival of Manor Solomon and possibly another winger, the Hammers are hoping a club will come in for the player. His wages of £65k a week (not including bonuses) have halved since our relegation, yet he will likely need to accept a further drop for any club to tie up a permanent deal.

Zero Interest In Cornet So Far

His agency, Unique Sports Group (Will Salthouse), are actively trying to find a club, but as one of our sources told us, the reality is blunt: there’s been zero interest so far.

Despite Cornet being handed a squad number, it will be interesting to see whether the club look to mutually terminate his contract once the window closes, if they can’t move him on.