Why Youssef En-Nesyri would be an excellent signing for West Ham
According to The Athletic (h/t Daily Mail), West Ham have stepped up their pursuit of Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri as David Moyes looks for reinforcements up top following the departure of Sebastian Haller earlier in the month.
As per the report, the Hammers made a staggering £27m offer for the Moroccan international over the weekend, consisting of an initial £22.5m with £4.5m in add-ons. The Spanish club have rejected the bid but West Ham remain confident of striking a deal for the 23-year-old before the January deadline.
Profile
Youssef En-Nesyri started his career with Malaga and joined CD Leganes in 2018 following the club’s relegation from the La Liga. The Moroccan shot to prominence with an 11-goal haul in all competitions in his debut season. En-Nesyri added another 4 strikes in 18 appearances during the first half of the 2019-20 campaign before being snapped up by Sevilla in January last year. (h/t Transfermarkt)
The 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength since his move to the Andalusian club. En-Nesyri scored 6 times in 26 appearances towards the back end of last season as Julen Lopetegui’s side finished 4th in the La Liga and won the Europa League. The powerful hitman has hit the ground running this term with 12 goals in 25 appearances so far. (h/t Transfermarkt)
The former Malaga star has bagged 18 goals in 51 appearances for Sevilla in all competitions, while also scoring 11 times from 35 caps for Morocco.
En-Nesyri would add more depth to the Hammers’ attack
West Ham currently have Michail Antonio as their only recognised option in front of goal following the sale of Sebastien Haller to Ajax earlier in the month. Antonio recently scored the winner in the club’s 1-0 win over Burnley at the weekend, taking his tally up to 4 goals in 10 league appearances this season.
However, David Moyes needs to manage Antonio’s workload heading into a hectic second half of the campaign. The former Nottingham Forest man has already missed several games due to injuries and a recurrence of his hamstring issues would effectively render the Hammers without a specialist striker in the coming months.
Putting things into context, West Ham desperately need more cover up top and Youssef En-Nesyri ticks several boxes to come through the door as a quality addition to the club’s ranks. The Moroccan international has enjoyed a promising start to his career in the La Liga, scoring 30 times in 122 appearances for Malaga, Leganes and Sevilla combined.
The 23-year-old has also thrived in the UEFA Champions League this season, scoring 4 times in 6 games in the group stages to fire his side to the last-16. Hence, it would be fair to say that En-Nesyri is already playing at a very high level, giving West Ham enough reason to believe he would be able to make the step up to the Premier League.
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Verdict
Youssef En-Nesyri has proven his worth in Spain and still has his best years ahead of him at 23. West Ham clearly need more competition for places in front of goal to reach greater heights in the Premier League. With Haller now gone, the Moroccan can be the Hammers’ best bet to replace him.
