West Ham: £30m dynamo could be the Prem’s next Wilson
West Ham are purring in the transfer market…
West Ham want to sign a player who bagged as many as 19 goals last season.
He’s already following in the footsteps of Kylian Mbappe but would only cost £30m.
The player is a lot like England striker Callum Wilson.
West Ham United are eyeing a sensational late summer swoop in the transfer market…
Who do West Ham want to sign?
According to the Guardian, the Irons are giving ‘serious consideration’ to a move for a striker who is valued at €35m (£30m).
That man in questions happens to be Montpellier’s Elye Wahi. Fortunately, his price tag could be lowered if the east Londoners agree to include a sell-on clause, as per the report.
This outlet revealed that the interest has been driven by West Ham’s technical director Tim Steidten as the club has already held positive early talks with the representatives of the player.
However, the Hammers face stiff competition for the 20-year-old, who has caught the attention of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Eintracht Frankfurt. The Germans may quickly move for Wahi if Randal Kolo Muani departs for the French capital.
West Ham are back in the market for a striker after selling Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta after a disappointing debut year in the Premier League.
What are Elye Wahi’s best qualities?
Last term, Wahi enjoyed a magnificent breakout season in France, scoring 19 times in 33 Ligue 1 appearances, which is the best scoring return of his senior career to date.
However, some in his homeland will argue that Wahi has been a well-known entity for years and his reputation skyrocketed in the 2016/17 season at U14 and U15 levels when he netted 89 goals.
Then, he began his senior in equally headline-grabbing fashion in January 2021, when he became Montpellier’s second-youngest goalscorer at the age of 18 years and 13 days.
This campaign, Wahi’s commendable output means he keeps company with the world’s elite as his goal in a 2-0 win over Lorient in December 2022, which was his 20th goal in top-flight French football meant he was the second teenager after the mercurial Kylian Mbappe to reach this milestone in the last 40 years.
A prolific poacher with cute finishing, striking intelligence, and positional awareness – it is a summary that also captures the style of Callum Wilson, who is likened to Wahi by FBref’s player comparison tool.
The former Bournemouth marksman enjoyed a sensational last season in Tyneside, netting 18 goals in 31 Premier League outings.
Both players are pacey, and dynamic and benefit from ruthless counter-attacking football, as finishing opportunities is their biggest strength.
Across the last 365 days, Wahi has scored at a rate of 0.68 goals per 90, and Wilson at 0.78, with these numbers placing both forwards within the top 6% in Europe’s top five leagues among their positional peers for this metric.
Similarly, they hold comparable numbers in build-up play, ranking very closely for shot-creating actions per 90 (1.19 vs 2.19), progressive passes per 90 (0.91 vs 0.94), progressive carries per 90 (2.13 vs 1.04), and successful take-ons per 90 (1.07 vs 0.57).
Whilst not anonymous in chance creation, is it not the defining characteristic of either player, who instead are more clinical outlets.
Wahi would be a significant coup for David Moyes, and ex-Caen Academy director Francis de Taddeo feels the prodigy is “powerful, athletic, and fast.”
It is hard to provide any evidence to suggest that Wahi wouldn’t succeed in the Premier League, and if he can follow in Wilson’s glittering footsteps, he could be one of the division’s most dangerous prospects.
