One of West Ham United’s transfer targets could now be set to sign for a fellow Premier League club…
What’s the word?
According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Justin Kluivert is “one step away” from joining Fulham, who earned promotion after winning the Championship last season.
West Ham had shown an interest in the Dutchman in July, but it appears that he is now set to join another London club instead.
A fee of around €10m (£8.4m) is due to be sent Roma’s way, but with the Hammers seemingly opting for Maxwel Cornet instead after agreeing a deal for the Ivorian, they will not feel too aggrieved to miss out on the Giallorossi winger.
Cornet is the better option
Although it may seem a shame to miss out on a young talent with a big name, it appears that David Moyes has made the smarter albeit more expensive move by opting for the Burnley man.
With Kluivert labelled a “special talent” by football writer Ryan Baldi, some may question the decision to prioritise the Ivorian over him.
Who would be the better deal for West Ham?
The Dutchman impressed on loan at Nice last season, scoring four goals and setting up five in 27 league appearances in a campaign which was also scuppered by injury.
Meanwhile, one man who made the move from Ligue 1 last year was Cornet, who enjoyed a fine debut season in the Premier League despite his team’s relegation. His nine league goals saw him top the scoring charts at Turf Moor and he was instrumental in putting up such a brave fight with the likes of Leeds United and Everton in the fight to avoid the drop.
That battle-hardened Premier League experience will be a huge motivator for Moyes in prioritising this deal, but it is not just Cornet’s goals which will have intrigued the Scotsman.
With Cornet averaging 1.13 tackles and 0.84 clearances per 90, this level of off-the-ball work rate could well have had an impact on the 59-year-old’s thinking.
The Ivorian not only offers a reliable goal threat, his stint at Burnley has proved that he is willing to get stuck in when it requires.
With Kluivert unproven in the English top flight and less prolific than Cornet in front of goal last term, Moyes appears to have chosen the smarter option in choosing which of the two to try and lure to the London Stadium.
