Cheikhou Koulyate has assured concerned West Ham fans that the downcast players’ confidence will come flooding back if the Hammers win at Hull City
Kouyate, who helped Senegal to 1-1 draw with Nigeria at Barnet’s The Hive in a friendly match last night, realises that a victory at the KCOM Stadium against Marco Silva’s men will do wonders for morale in the camp.
A win against the Tigers is desperately in order given that West Ham have failed to notch a win in five games, losing three and drawing two. And their recent slump in form means they are sitting in 12th spot in the Premier League table.
And Kouyate said: “We played five games and when you don’t win, and if you don’t win every time then you have, ‘This is no good, this is no good!’. If we win one game, everything comes and confidence comes, so if we win then this is good.”
One man who can help the Hammers notch a triumph on Humberside is striker Andy Carroll, who has plundered six goals in 14 top flight games since returning from injury in December. And Kouyate reckons the forward should have been among the Three Lions players who featured in the 1-0 reverse in Germany midweek.
He added: “For me, I don’t understand why England don’t call Andy because he has scored a lot of goals, but that is down to the manager, Gareth Southgate. Maybe he will be called in the next international break.”
Hammers midfielder Kouyate, 27, is in international action once more on Monday in Paris as Senegal face the Ivory Coast at the Stade Sebastien Charlety.
Meanwhile, on the transfer target front, the Hammers are said to be keen on bringing Johan Djourou back to the Premier League in the summer.
Former Arsenal defender Djourou, 30, is the Hamburg skipper and has enjoyed three seasons in the Bundesliga but reports say he is being lined up for a switch to the London Stadium.