In a recent report, The Athletic has revealed that West Ham United will face stiff competition for Chelsea starlet Marc Guehi, who is currently playing on loan at Swansea City. It is understood that the Hammers will have to rival Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Newcastle United in pursuit of the English centre-back this summer (via The Athletic).
Guehi’s Outstanding Loan Spell At Swansea
Guehi is having a productive loan spell with the Swans after managing to establish himself as a regular starter at the Liberty Stadium. The Abidjan-born sensation has been involved in 42 matches for the Welsh outfit this term across various competitions.
The English talent is growing into a top defender as he is averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 2.6 clearances per 90 minutes in the EFL Championship this season. Guehi has even been tidy when distributing the ball out from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 77.5% in league football (stats via whoscored).
The 20-year-old’s current deal with his parent club, Chelsea, is set to expire at the end of next season which could open the door for the Hammers to engineer a move to bring him to the London Stadium in this off-season.
Should The Hammers Step Up Their Pursuit Of Guehi?
Guehi has decent pace under his belt that allows him to cover a lot of ground and clear the danger when needed. He has also transformed himself into a decent tackler and possesses good defensive awareness to earn possession back for his side.
The 11-time England Under-21 international has shown that he has the composure to play his way out from the back. Hence, he will fit into David Moyes’ playing style quite well if the West Ham boss can win the race to secure his signature before the start of the new campaign.
At 20, there is still a lot of room for improvement in Guehi’s game, so the Hammers can expect him to grow into a future starter at East London. Furthermore, the promising youngster will also offer some healthy competition for Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson for a place in Moyes’ starting XI next season.
However, there are some question marks over whether he can make a smooth transition to Premier League football. Either way, West Ham would be wise to step up their pursuit for the Chelsea whizkid even though they might find it difficult to land him from their London rivals this summer.
