West Ham United are in desperate need of reinforcements in midfield following the departure of Declan Rice and Manuel Lanzini; now a fresh update has emerged on the club's pursuit of a transfer target.
What's the latest on West Ham's interest in Youssouf Fofana?
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham are stepping up their efforts to sign Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana this summer.
As per the report, there are growing frustrations in east London as it is claimed that coach David Moyes and director of football Tim Steidten are not on the same page when it comes to identifying players who can improve the Hammers for next season.
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However, the Irons are now set to step up their pursuit of the Ligue 1 midfielder over the coming days and will also make a move for his compatriot Adrien Truffert.
How good is Youssouf Fofana?
West Ham will kick off their 2023/24 Premier League campaign next Saturday with an away clash at AFC Bournemouth, so getting some business done will be imperative in the next few days.
The Hammers sold their most valuable asset in Rice last month for a whopping £105m to Arsenal, so the east Londoners are not short of financial power as they enter the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
Indeed, Moyes' side have been pushed away when approaching targets, with a £40m bid rejected for Conor Gallagher and their Carlos Borges deal hijacked by Ajax earlier this week.
As a result, the signing of Fofana could be a great piece of business for West Ham as they look to strengthen their presence in the centre of the pitch and could even be a better option than Gallagher.
The 24-year-old machine – who has a reported price tag of up to £31m – has been going from strength to strength in the French league and has been one of the stand-out performers in his position over the last 12 months.
As per FBref, Fofana ranks in the top 16% of midfielders in the top five European leagues for progressive passes, progressive carries, successful take-ons and interceptions per 90 minutes, proving that he is a confident ball-winner with strong abilities to progress forward.
When comparing the Monaco midfielder's output to Gallagher's last season, Fofana comfortably outperformed his positional peer in several key attributes including pass completion (81.6% v 81.1%), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.32 v 0.17), successful take-ons (50.5% v 42.6%), percentage of dribblers tackled (51.4% v 27%) and aerial duels won (54.8% v 40.4%).
Not only that, the Frenchman – once hailed "magnificent" by talent scout Jacek Kulig – is versatile in his positioning with the ability to play both central and defensive midfield, something that would be a precious asset to Moyes due to his desperation for quality and depth, particularly in the engine room.
With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for West Ham to secure the services of Fofana this summer, as he could not only provide the Scotsman with the much-needed quality and consistency in midfield next season but would also soften the blow of missing out on Gallagher too.