West Ham are interested in signing Udinese midfielder Seko Fofana this month, according to respected Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
Di Marzio has also claimed that Udinese will demand around €20 million (£16.9 million) for the 24-year-old ace.
The Hammers are in desperate need of midfield reinforcements. They need more pace and power in the middle of the park, and are crying out for a physical presence
And Fofana, who spent two years with Manchester City as a youth team player, would certainly give them that.
The midfielder also spent time with Fulham on loan during the 2014/15 campaign.
Standing at 6ft 1in tall, and powerfully built, the Ivory Coast international seems to be perfect for West Ham.
But do the stats back that up?
According to Who Scored, Fofana has averaged 0.7 tackles, 0.6 interceptions, 0.4 clearances and 0.1 blocks per game in 15 Serie A outings for Udinese this season.
And that shows that he quite clearly isn’t producing much in the defensive department for his team.
He has contributed more in the final third, however, with one goal and four assists to his name in 15 league outings (Who Scored).
Fofana has also recored other impressive numbers in an attacking sense. The 24-year-old has averaged 2.3 successful dribbles, 1.2 key passes and has an 86.8 per cent pass success rate in 15 Serie A games for Udinese this season (Who Scored).
So in conclusion, it depends what type of midfielder West Ham actually want and need.
The Ivorian is only 24, so he will surely improve with age, but it could be argued that the Hammers actually need more of a box-to-box type player who contributes both defensively and in the final third.
Obviously those players do not come cheap, however. And if Fofana could improve West Ham’s midfield, which he surely would do, it might just be worth paying the £16.9 million that Udinese are reportedly asking for.
Who knows, it might end up proving to be a bargain for the Hammers.
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