West Ham United have been heavily linked with a move to sign Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri all summer long.
I really didn’t see this one coming. Youssef En-Nesyri to West Ham seemed to be a deal that was written in the stars.
Julen Lopetegui is desperate to sign a new striker this summer, and is said to be prioritising strengthening that specific position before the start of the new season.
En-Nesyri, 27, is someone who the Hammers fans will know really well. He’s been linked with a move to the London Stadium all summer long.
And it was claimed earlier this month that the Sevilla hitman was very keen to reunite with his former manager Lopetegui at West Ham.
The striker has just one year remaining on his current deal with the La Liga outfit, so he could be set for a big change this summer.
A switch from Seville to East London seemed to be destined for the Moroccan. It has been talked about so much over the past three years or so.
And Lopetegui’s arrival at West Ham was believed to be the tipping point in the deal.
However, it might just be the complete opposite…
Youssef En-Nesyri twist will absolutely stun West Ham fans
It’s seemingly all change then this summer.
A transfer that seemed to be almost nailed on has now taking a very big twist indeed.
The Hammers have been chasing En-Nesyri’s signature since way back in January 2021, but have never succeeded in signing him.
On paper, the Moroccan hitman is absolutely perfect for West Ham in the sense that he’s an aerial powerhouse, he works the channels and is a very good finisher.
Lopetegui managed the centre-forward during his time in charge of Sevilla as well, so he obviously knows him very well indeed.
The former Leganes striker is the ideal man to play up front in a Lopetegui system. En-Nesyri has bagged 73 goals in 196 appearances for Sevilla – better than a goal every three games.
That’s exactly the kind of return we need from our centre-forward. I have no doubts that the Sevilla ace would score 15-20 goals a season for the Hammers, and this one was a transfer that I thought would get done with minimal fuss this summer.
However, a real spanner has just been thrown in the works and it’s a big twist.
Another striker on Lopetegui’s radar?
A report emerged yesterday that the Hammers were closing in on a £21 million deal for En-Nesyri, but that report looks to have been slightly premature now.
Spanish publication Mucho Deporte claim that West Ham are ‘moving away’ from their interest in the 27-year-old Sevilla centre-forward.
That’s because Lopetegui is said to be targeting a striker with a ‘different profile’ to the Morocco international.
There are obviously other strikers out there available, but it’s the fact that West Ham boss Lopetegui is said to be targeting a different profile to Youssef En-Nesyri that’s so surprising.
I truly believe you won’t get a better fit for the 57-year-old’s system than the Moroccan, but what do I know? I t will be interesting to see which centre-forward Lopetegui brings to the London Stadium now.
Personally I would like Dominic Solanke or Ivan Toney, but they both may well be out of our reach.
