According to the latest reports from Tuttosport as cited by Calciomercato, West Ham United are one of the teams interested in signing AC Milan’s midfield ace Franck Kessie. The Hammers will have to fend off competition from their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. The Italian giants have kept a price tag of €35m for Kessie.
The midfielder had spent the last two seasons on loan with AC Milan, and they signed him permanently in this window. The Ivory Coast international made 42 appearances in all competitions last season and contributed with seven goals and three assists.
Does Pellegrini need someone like Kessie?
The 22-year-old midfielder will be an ideal signing for the Hammers right now as they struggled with midfield options for quite some time last season. With Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere suffering from injuries, Pellegrini deployed Declan Rice in the defensive midfield position even though he came up the ranks as a centre back. Mark Noble is another midfield option for the East London club, but the Englishman is already 32. Pellegrini needs to keep an eye out for a long term replacement for him.
What can Kessie bring to the table at the London stadium?
Kessie is a dynamic midfielder who can do pretty much everything in the middle of the park. He is defensively strong as he is known for his tackling and intercepting abilities. The midfielder can protect the ball well using his body as he has that physical strength to keep the opposition at bay.
Kessie can even take the opposition by surprise by going on marauding runs now and then. The 22-year-old can seamlessly play as a defensive midfielder or in a box to box role.
His pass picking abilities are also worth mentioning as he usually tries to move the ball forward instead of just passing it sideways. All in all, Kessie is a complete midfield powerhouse, and if he continues his development, then he can be one of the players to watch out for in a few years.
Can the Hammers sign him?
Spurs are a club who can offer Kessie a chance to play in the Champions League. Moreover, we think that they too are in a desperate need of a midfielder after Mousa Dembele departed from the club in January. Arsenal also would look to replace Aaron Ramsey with a dynamic midfielder like Kessie. Therefore West Ham’s task is going to be cut out as they don’t have the lure of any European competition and they are likely to be behind the pecking order of their London rivals.
