In a recent report, The Sun has stated that West Ham United are eyeing a move for Olympique Lyonnais forward Moussa Dembele. It is understood that the French giants are willing to cash in on their prized asset but only if any of his potential suitors including the Hammers match their asking price of around £30m plus bonuses (via The Sun).
Dembele’s Growing Struggles In French Football This Season
The 24-year-old has made a lacklustre start to this Ligue 1 campaign after failing to score in any of the nine matches he has been involved in for Lyon so far. However, Dembele had a fruitful season at the Groupama Stadium last term when he registered 24 goals and seven assists in 46 matches for the French outfit in multiple competitions.
However, the ex-Celtic frontman has struggled to perform at his best this season after averaging 2.2 shots, 0.4 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game in the French first division. He has also given away the ball cheaply at times in the final third as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 66.3% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
Dembele’s current contract with Lyon is set to run out in the summer of 2023, so Rudi Garcia will be under no pressure to cash in on him any time soon unless a club decide to match the player’s £30m price-tag in January or at the end of this campaign.
What Will The Pontoise-Born Marksman Add To David Moyes’ Team?
Dembele can use his quickness to make some dangerous runs going forward and is proficient at stretching the opposition defence with his clever movement and dribbling ability. He has previously proven his value as a lethal finisher for Lyon in the attacking third as he can score all kinds of goals using his killer instincts in front of goal.
However, Dembele’s lacklustre form this season has raised some serious concerns over his reliability as a centre-forward. Despite his recent struggles to score or create goals, Moyes would be wise to engineer a move to land him in the future as the French striker will be the perfect strike partner for Michail Antonio at the London Stadium.
Dembele could potentially add plenty of goals to the Hammers frontline and will be an upgrade over Sebastien Haller who has endured a frustrating spell at the English capital thus far since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt last year.
At 24, the Ligue 1 star is about to embark upon the prime stages of his playing career, so the East London outfit can expect to get the best out of him in the coming seasons. With all things considered, the Hammers should contemplate matching Lyon’s asking price as Dembele seems like he has what it takes to be a regular starter at the London Stadium for years to come.
