West Ham are eyeing a move to sign Matteo Guendouzi as a replacement for Declan Rice this summer.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is on the radar of West Ham ahead of the summer transfer window.
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Signing a top-class Declan Rice replacement will be the number one item on the agenda of David Moyes this summer – if the 24-year-old leaves of course.
Arsenal are being heavily linked with a move to sign Dec at the end of this season.
And ex-Gunner Matteo Guendouzi is someone who has been linked with the Hammers recently. It now seems like the East London outfit are ramping up efforts to bring the 24-year-old Frenchman back to the Premier League…
West Ham eyeing interesting Declan Rice replacement
David Ornstein reckons that Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is being lined up by David Moyes to replace Rice this summer.
Firstly, I have to say that the former Arsenal man should in no way be considered as a like-for-like replacement for the 24-year-old England international.
However, if he is signed in addition to another top-class midfielder like Ibrahim Sangare, Khephren Thuram or Teun Koopmeiners, then I think he’d be a very strong addition to Moyes’s ranks.
The Marseille ace is a tenacious tackler, has energy and stamina in abundance and is a very proficient passer of the football.
Guendouzi is a deep-lying midfielder who protects the back four and tries to dictate the tempo of the game. In 30 Ligue 1 appearances this season, the 24-year-old has averaged 1.1 tackles per match. He has made an average of 36.1 passes per game and has recorded a mightily impressive completion rate of 88.2% (Who Scored).
He proved during his time with Arsenal that he is more than suited to the robust nature and ferocious pace of Premier League football as well.
However, Matteo Guendouzi is in no way at the level needed to be a Declan Rice replacement at West Ham.
And if he is the only central midfielder Moyes signs this summer, and Dec leaves, there will be a lot of unhappy Hammers fans.
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