West Ham United have yet to make a summer signing and with the 2023/24 Premier League campaign kicking off next week, David Moyes will need to act swiftly if he aims to bolster his squad.
He has seen a move for Carlos Borges fall through, with the youngster joining Ajax instead of West Ham and with £105m in the transfer kitty due to the sale of Declan Rice, Moyes certainly has the cash to spend.
French striker Elye Wahi has been eyed for a potential move and Moyes could make the youngster his first summer signing.
Could West Ham sign Elye Wahi?
The Montpellier hitman has been attracting interest from the Premier League, with Chelsea also keen on luring him to London. Journalist Fabrice Hawkins shared a recent update, tweeting: “Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham and Frankfurt are interested in Elye Wahi.
Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…
“In recent days the Germans insist on convincing the player. Chelsea made a first offer of 30 million euros including bonus. Montpellier wants about 40M €.”
Moyes certainly faces tough competition for his signature, yet for a fee of €40m (£35m), it could turn into a stunning bargain given his meteoric rise in Ligue 1.
How good is Elye Wahi?
West Ham scored just 42 league goals last term, a drop from the 60 they registered the season before, and it suggests some added firepower is required this summer.
The only centre forward to score more than ten goals was Michail Antonio, with 2022 summer arrival Gianluca Scamacca failing to impress, netting just eight goals in total across all competitions.
It looks as though the Italian is departing the London side, joining Atalanta in the coming days, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Wahi would certainly be a wonderful replacement for the striker and judging by his statistics over the previous 12 months, he could even be a major upgrade.
The 20-year-old ranked first across the Montpellier squad for goals and assists (24) and shots on target per game (1.2), while also ranking seventh for key passes (0.7) and sixth for successful dribbles (0.9) per game, showcasing his abilities across a range of attacking metrics.
In contrast, Scamacca failed to rank in the top five across the West Ham squad for goals and assists (three), while managing just 0.6 shots on target, 0.8 key passes and 0.4 successful dribbles per game, failing to impress following his big money move from Serie A last summer.
The French talent also ranked in the top 7% when compared to positional peers for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.64) over the previous 12 months, whereas Scamacca fails to even rank in the top 50%, averaging just 0.29 non-penalty goals per 90, and it’s evident that Wahi is much more effective in front of goal.
Lauded as a “real beast” by reporter Andres Onrubia Ramos in 2022, Wahi has scored 32 senior goals and he is yet to turn 21. The Italian, in comparison has netted 50 goals during his career, yet he is four years older, and it looks as though the youngster could break through that barrier in no time.
Judging by the evidence, the Montpellier hitman is a major upgrade on the 11-cap Italy international and Moyes should be doing everything he can to lure him to West Ham.