West Ham United manager David Moyes continues to completely ignore Maxwel Cornet this season.
Things went from bad to worse for him a few weeks ago when he was left out of the squad completely by Moyes, despite the fact that he wasn’t injured or suffering with any kind of illness.
David Moyes brought Maxwel Cornet to West Ham from Burnley in the summer of 2022 for around £17.5 million (Sky Sports), and big things were expected of the fleet-footed Ivorian.
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The West Ham fans were incredibly excited to see Cornet arrive at the London Stadium, after he bagged nine goals in just 26 Premier League games for Burnley during the previous campaign.
However, the 27-year-old has failed to deliver the goods for the Hammers, and a recent report claimed he’ll be sold in the January transfer window, if a bid of around £6-7 million arrives.
That’s no surprise really considering how many wingers are currently ahead of him in the pecking order at the London Stadium.
A serious injury kept him out of action for around five months last season, and that certainly didn’t help him settle into the team. He’s back to full fitness now though, and something doesn’t feel right.
With Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals both woefully out of form, Cornet’s lack of minutes this season truly baffles me.
We all know how good the Ivory Coast international can be – he proved it during his time in France with Lyon and then in England with Burnley.
So what is the real reason why he has hardly been given any minutes at all this season?
David Moyes may have an ulterior Maxwel Cornet motive
Cornet has been given just 119 minutes of action in all competitions all season long for West Ham this season (Transfermarkt).
That’s just utterly bizarre, especially given the fact that he made a real difference for the Hammers when he came on for the final 25 minutes against TSC Backa Topola in the Europa League a few weeks ago.
What makes Moyes’s refusal to give Cornet regular minutes even stranger is the fact that the winger possesses something that we desperately lack – blistering pace.
Here’s the thing though, I think Moyes has a very good reason for barely playing the flying winger. With the West Ham boss desperate to raise funds in the January transfer window, Cornet is definitely one of our most sellable assets.
The former Burnley man should be able to fetch a decent fee next month when the window opens, and then Moyes will be able to strengthen his squad in other areas.
So with that in mind, the last thing that Moyes needs is for Cornet to pick up another injury before the January window opens up.
Personally, I don’t agree with this strategy, but at least it makes some kind of sense. Because what’s the alternative…David Moyes just isn’t playing Maxwel Cornet for the sake of it? No, not for me.
Some people might say that the 27-year-old isn’t fit enough, or that he isn’t producing the goods on the training pitch. That doesn’t make sense to me either though, because he looks in great shape and was really lively the last time he was given any kind of substantial minutes in the Europa League on November 30th.
It certainly seems like he has more to offer than Benrahma and Fornals on the left wing, yet he is ignored time and time again by Moyes.
There has to be something going on behind closed doors. And I think that ‘something’ is the Hammers boss preparing to facilitate Cornet’s exit from the London Stadium in January.
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