West Ham have confirmed the signing of central midfielder Flynn Downes from Swansea in a deal worth a reported £8-£12million.
The 23-year-old is expected to come in and replace the retired legend Mark Noble in the squad and Downes is a boyhood Hammers fan himself.
But they have more than just that similarity and Downes could become ‘the new Noble’.
Is West Ham new boy Flynn Downes the perfect replacement to fill the void left behind by Mark Noble?
Downes previously played for Ipswich before making his move to the Swans but he is from a West Ham loving family, born in Brentwood, Essex. That’s proper West Ham territory just like how Noble grew up in Canning Town.
Noble’s commitment and love for the club could never be questioned and it feels important to keep someone with those values in amongst the dressing room. West Ham are a club that prides itself on being a family, having traditions and culture, all of this Downes will understand.
On the pitch there are more comparisons to make. Both are exceptional passers of the ball. Downes is a fantastic press resistant player and plays with eyes in the back of his head to get out of tight situations with good passes.
The stats back this up, he completed 92.6% of his 2,465 attempted passes in the Championship last season, giving him the highest pass completion rate of anyone in England’s top four divisions. Slightly edging West Ham’s Declan Rice with 91.6%.
Noble was always capable of putting his foot on the ball, dictating the game, finding space to receive the ball and winning cheap free-kicks – Downes does all these things excellently too.
Downes is also a renowned tough tackler and never bottles a challenge just like the West Ham legend. Last season he picked up 11 yellow cards and one red. Swansea fans say he does have a temper when on field and can occasionally be dragged out of position as a result of his desire to win possession back. But with David Moyes coaching, there is no doubt he can refine his skills and improve on his weaknesses.
It will be interesting to see how Downes makes the step up to the Premier League. West Ham have proved their is young talent to be found in the second tier of English football via the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma. Perhaps Downes can be the next in a long line of claret and blue successes picked up from the lower leagues.
He is West Ham’s third signing of the summer having already secured deals for Alphonse Areola and Nayef Aguerd.
Moyes is looking to do more business with a striker top of his wish-list. Meanwhile an attacking midfielder/winger and another defensive minded midfielder could be on the cards.