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.
Dominik Livakovic
The penalty saving hero helped guide the Croats to the last four. His performances in shootouts against Brazil and Japan made everyone take note of him. But his displays in the Europe for Dinamo Zagreb have impressed over the years too. At 27, he is still young for a goalkeeper and he is another who could prove not overly expensive.
With Lukasz Fabianski getting old West Ham could bring in a worse replacement. Livakovic is a bit like Fabianski, both good shot stoppers and penalty savers but not the best with distribution. The Pole has been solid this season and Livakovic is reportedly wanted by Bayern Munich and Leeds to name a few. Goalkeeper doesn’t seem the priority at the moment so West Ham could miss out on him.
Sofyan Amrabat
Amrabat lit up the World Cup with his hard work protecting the Morocco back four. He ran the show with his tough tackling, commitment and quality passing that start off counter-attacks. Without doubt he was one of the best players of the tournament. Everyone now wants the Fiorentina man – Liverpool and Tottenham are leading the way.
Tomas Soucek’s future is unclear and if Declan Rice is sold in the summer West Ham will have money to spend. A bigger club will probably sign Amrabat but he’s worth a bid if he’s still at La Viola come the end of the campaign.
Yunus Musah
The Arsenal academy graduate is just 20-years-old and is already a regular for both USA and Valencia. Musah is a central midfielder who loves to carry the ball forward at speed after breaking up play. He is an ideal box-to-box player. He needs to add a few goals to his game and pick up less yellow cards but he is one of the most highly rated youngsters in the game.
He has a reported £80m buy-out clause but Valencia are in the midst of financial trouble and they will supposedly accept a bid of much less. Again, if Rice leaves, he could be a good replacement providing better teams don’t swoop in.
Azzedine Ounahi
Another of Morocco’s new legends – the Angers midfielder made everyone watch in amazement during their semis loss to France as he dictated the game. He is a bundle of pace and trickery carrying the ball forward in an untouchable manner. He also has an eye for a pass. Ounahi needs to add goals and assists to his game as he hasn’t registered one of either in Ligue 1 this season but at 22-years-old there is time for him to improve.
Nobody knew him a month ago, now everyone wants him, including Barcelona and Leicester. He could prove too expensive and it’s unclear where he could fit in at West Ham with the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Pablo Fornals already at the club.
Tajon Buchanan
We have raved about Canada’s versatile hero before you can check it out HERE. Buchanan’s talent shone through in Qatar despite John Herdman’s team not getting a point in Qatar and he has been impressive in the Champions League for Club Brugge.
Mohammed Kudus
After being injured for around six months everyone forgot about Ghana and Ajax’s future star. There is nothing he can’t do – he scores (14 in all comps this season), he creates, he cannot be stopped due to his pace and he is not scared to put his foot in when out of possession. Not forgetting he is versatile operating in midfield or as a striker. Realistically, he will not head to West Ham but he’s worth watching.