West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui is clearly keen to bolster his central midfield ranks this summer, and a former Arsenal man is reportedly on his radar.
We’ve already told you how Monaco ace Youssouf Fofana is one of the Hammers’ key transfer targets this summer, but someone else is now apparently drawing attention from West Ham.
Julen Lopetegui desperately needs to add more energy, dynamism and athleticism to his engine room at the London Stadium.
Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse are solid operators but they both lack the ‘X factor’ needed to help us reach the next level.
Fofana would be the perfect summer signing for us as far as I’m concerned, but the Hammers could now go down a different route it seems, with a £25 million move to sign Lazio midfielder Matteo Guendouzi according to Caught Offside.
Coincidentally, we were heavily linked with a move to sign him last summer as well.
The likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle want to sign the former Gunner as well, so the path to obtaining his signature is certainly not without obstacles.
Guendouzi has been with Lazio since the summer of 2023, and now he could be set for a return to the Premier League.
That said, I think we should avoid a move to sign him anyway…
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui told to pay £25m to sign ex-Arsenal man
So the Hammers boss absolutely has to sign a top-class central midfielder this summer, if he’s to take us forward as a club – that’s the bottom line.
The competition for Fofana seems to be incredibly fierce, so his attention has switched to the 25-year-old Frenchman.
He’s actually a decent player, but there are a lot of red flags surrounding him.
However, let’s focus on the positives that the 25-year-old could bring to the West Ham team first and foremost.
The Lazio man is a really tenacious tackler, plays with great spirit and determination and possesses energy, athleticism and stamina in abundance.
Meanwhile, The Metro have labelled him as a ‘superb’ player, and on his day, he is real player.
However, his attitude was called into question on numerous occasions during his time with Arsenal (Daily Mail), and it’s questionable whether he’s the sort of character Julen Lopetegui should be looking to bring to West Ham.
He has caused trouble wherever he has been throughout his career to date, and that’s the kind of hassle we really don’t need.
There are far better options out there other than Matteo Guendouzi as far as I’m concerned.
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