10 World Cup stars West Ham should sign
By Alex Smith
West Ham could do with a few new recruits in the upcoming transfer windows after a poor start to the season and the future of some current first-teamers are in doubt.
The World Cup always unearths breakout stars and gives players a chance to impress with scouts from clubs everywhere watching.
A number of aces the Hammers should be interested in from dark horses Morocco and Croatia caught the eye as well as some exceptional performances from those featuring for nation’s Senegal and Australia. But who are they?
West Ham should take a look at transfers for these TEN World Cup stars.
Harry Souttar
What a tournament the young centre-back had in Qatar. His commanding displays at the heart of Australia’s back line helped them reach the knockout stages. At 6ft 5in he is fantastic in the air and strong. But he is not just a big lad in the box. He is composed with the ball at his feet playing a number of fantastic passes through the lines at the World Cup. He plays for Stoke in the Championship and most impressively his good performances came after a lengthy spell out injured.
With Craig Dawson still expected to leave – perhaps Souttar can replace him.
Josip Juranovic
The future of Vladimir Coufal is uncertain amid rumours David Moyes has lost faith in him. Meanwhile, Thilo Kehrer has had moments of genius and disaster so far in claret and blue. A new right-back feels a need and Celtic’s Juranovic would be a wise signing. The Croatian impressed keeping Neymar and Vinicius Jr quiet when they faced Brazil in the quarter-final and he was prominent with his energetic and committed style. He has real pace bursting forward on the overlap and regularly swinging in crosses.
West Ham have been linked with the 27-year-old so this is a deal that could happen – keep watch!
Youssef En-Nesyri
The towering striker scored a couple of iconic goals on Morocco’s way to the semi-final. He is great in the air and is an incredibly hard worker possessing a number of attributes Moyes like to see in his strikers. En-Nesyri netted regularly for Sevilla a couple of seasons ago but the goals then dried up but now he seems back on top form.
West Ham have been heavily linked with him over the recent transfer periods and his name is floating around again. Given his World Cup antics the £15m previously reported won’t be enough but he could still be a bargain.
Iliman Ndiaye
It was not long ago Ndiaye was loaned out to Hyde United in the sixth tier of English football but an incredible climb up the ranks saw him start for Senegal in the World Cup and star for Sheffield United in the Championship this season. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has scored nine goals this season and seems like a perfect Moyes signing. Young, ready for the step up, hard working off the ball and a fantastic dribbler with trickery. The Blades are desperate to hold onto him as they look to return to the Premier League but he is a real possibility.