According to The Guardian, West Ham United have reportedly moved forward in their pursuit of Flynn Downes from Swansea City. It is also mentioned in the report that they will battle it out with Crystal Palace who are leading the race to secure Downes’ services but the Hammers are confident that they would beat them after making encouraging progress in negotiations.
Downes’ Campaign For Swansea City Last Season
Flynn Downes has performed exceptionally in the holding position for the Championship side after producing a handful of influential displays in the central areas of the pitch. He managed to score a goal and grab two assists over 38 appearances last season across all fronts.
The defensive midfielder has caught the eye after being consistent in the defensive department averaging 1.3 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 1.1 clearances per game in the EFL Championship. He has been impressive with his ball distribution after completing 92.6% of his attempted passes in English second-division football (stats via whoscored).
What Would He Bring To West Ham United?
The Brentwood-born sensation remains a solid tackler of the ball. He doesn’t mind putting his foot into a tackle and can make some clever interceptions to win the ball back for his teammates. He can sense the danger quickly and track down his opponents making it difficult for them to take a clear shot at the goal.
The 23-year-old excels at distributing the ball from the holding positions and keeping possession in the central areas of the field. The English midfielder can add more bite and steel to the midfield. He can improve with each season and provide cover for Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, making him a decent fit at the East London club.
David Moyes is wise to identify him as a potential target, so he should make an offer that seems fit for the Championship club to bring him over to the London Stadium before the start of the next campaign.