In a recent print edition, France Football has revealed that West Ham United are keeping tabs on Olympique Lyonnais centre-forward Moussa Dembele. It is believed that the Hammers boss David Moyes is desperately trying to add more quality to his squad and has got the French striker on his radar ahead of the January transfer window (via France Football).
Dembele’s Toothless Start To This Ligue 1 Season
It has been a campaign full of frustrations for the 24-year-old as he failed to finish off chances in the final third. Dembele has taken part in 11 matches for the French outfit this term but is yet to open his goal-scoring account for this season.
However, the ex-Celtic striker deserves a pat on the back for not giving up despite his lacklustre form in front of the opponent’s goal. He is averaging 2.1 shots, 0.5 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game in the Ligue 1 but has been guilty of giving away the ball far too often as evidenced by his pass success rate of 67.3% in the French top tier (stats via whoscored).
Dembele’s recent numbers do not look good on paper. Still, it’s easy to forget how prolific of a goal-scorer he was in the previous campaign when he banged in 24 goals and grabbed seven assists in 46 appearances for Rudi Garcia’s side across various competitions.
What Will The French Attacker Add To David Moyes’ Side?
Dembele is blessed with electric pace which he can effectively use to breeze past his marker in the offensive end of the pitch. He is also proficient at generating space for himself to get a few shots in on-target but has come up short when presented with a good chance to find the back of the net this season.
Standing at 1.83m, the French frontman can use his strength to dominate the aerial battle with the opposition defenders by winning his fair share of headers inside the penalty box. However, he needs to improve his link-up play in the final third if he intends to stay relevant at the highest level.
When Dembele is firing on all cylinders, he can be a joy to watch, but unfortunately, he has been a shadow of his former self so far this season. The Frenchman has got everything in his game to become a consistent goal-getter in the Premier League.
Dembele could be an ideal strike partner to Michail Antonio and will serve as an upgrade over Sebastien Haller who has mostly been underwhelming despite his match-winning performance versus Sheffield United last weekend. With all things considered, Moyes should consider taking a chance on Dembele if he is available for a transfer when the window reopens at the start of next year.
