EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

West Ham survives cash-rich Newcastle’s steal

West Ham

West Ham united successfully landed Nayef Aguerd for £30 million. Manager David Moyes confirms the signing despite Newcastle’s attempts to sabotage the deal.

Hammers’ defender desperation

Club manager David Moyes was desperate in bringing a center-back to the London Stadium. The North London club is in shambles with their veteran defender Angelo Ogbonna’s bench-warming due to injuries.

Craig Dawson and former Chelsea player Kurt Zouma, the club’s two central defenders, have also experienced fitness concerns in the past.

This showed Hammers’s way to the transfer market in recent times. West Ham will need to reinforce their defensive line as soon as possible to avoid falling short in-depth as they prepare for another Premier League season.

Nayef Aguerd in Hammers’ radar

Aguerd turned out to be a major signing for Rennes back in 2020 from Dijon. He established his role as a central defender and helped his side finish 6th in League 1. The following year, Rennes saw themselves playing in the Europa League as well.

In recent seasons, the 26-year-old has built a reputation as one of France’s most dependable defenders. His dominant defensive displays appear to have caught the attention of West Ham. The North London club in fact have offered the Moroccan £30 million to play in London.

Newcastle’s attempt to steal the deal

Newcastle sought to sign the defender while pursuing Sven Botman from Lille.  Despite the defender’s desire to leave Lille before the commencement of the pre-season which was before in July, the Magpies have yet to agree on a fee with Lille.

Simultaneously, the cash-rich club turned to Nayef Aguerd to make up for the time. They tried quite hard to bring him to North-East London just in case the Botman deal really goes down south for them.

The Moroccan international, who is noted for his powerful aerial ability, ball-playing abilities, game-reading skills, and quick recovery speed, match Eddie Howe’s ideal defender profile. However, the 26-year-old has stated that West Ham is his next home in press conferences.

What Nayef Aguerd had to say

The Morrocan international was happy to play in the Premier League and a club like West Ham could give him a strong establishment in England.

“I was really excited when I heard about West Ham United’s interest,” Aguerd told West Ham.

“When I heard about it, I knew I needed to go to the Premier League because it’s a dream for every player. West Ham is a historic Club. I saw a few of their games this year, and I saw the fans and the atmosphere was fantastic, with the bubbles! I talked with the manager and he showed me that he was very interested, so it was easy to choose to come to West Ham.” the Morrocan added.

The final take

The Magpies turning to Aguerd is undoubtedly a setback for West Ham, it is possible that Newcastle is attempting to use the left-foot center-back as a ruse to complete the Botman trade.

With a contract with Rennes until 2025, it will be intriguing to watch who, among Hammers and Newcastle United, comes out on top in the race to sign Aguerd.

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