With Premier League duo West Ham United and Wolves just two of the options on the table, Lucas Stassin’s reputation had clearly not been harmed by St Etienne’s relegation from the French top-flight.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Because while one of the sleeping giants of European football stumbled into a nightmare – finishing 17th in an 18-team division – their brilliant Belgian threatened to almost save Les Verts’ skin all on his lonesome.
Lucas Stassin ended his breakout Ligue 1 campaign with 12 goals and four assists from just 23 starts. That would have been an impressive return at Marseille or Monaco, let alone a St Etienne side circling the plughole at the other end of the table.
A taker and creator of chances, Stassin sees himself as a combination of Romelu Lukaku and Lois Openda; combining the predatory instincts of the former with the mobility of the latter. Eirik Horneland, the St Etienne head coach, calls him a ‘mix’ of a number nine and a number ten.
So with West Ham United looking to add both a ruthlessness streak and some cutting edge to a forward line more reliant than ever on Jarrod Bowen, it’s fair to say many Hammers fans liked what they saw from Lucas Stassin.
What they will not like quite so much, however, is reports suggesting that the former Anderlecht starlet has decided to remain on the other side of the Channel.
West Ham United target Lucas Stassin agrees to leave St Etienne for RC Lens
Last week, French football reporter Pierre Menes claimed that Lucas Stassin’s agent was trying to force a move to Strasbourg. The ambitious Alsace outfit who, thanks to their Chelsea connections and the razor-sharp tactical mind of Liam Rosenior, secured Europa Conference League qualification last season.
But Strasbourg are focused on retaining Emanuel Emegha – another West Ham striker target – rather than scouring the market for his successor.
Belgian publication Walfoot, meanwhile, now claim that Stassin has reached an agreement with the club who finished one place and five points below Strasbourg last term, missing out on a European spot by the cuticles of their fingernails.
Walfoot report that Stassin is ‘attracted by the project’ on offer at RC Lens. He is ‘ready to commit’ himself to a team who recently hired former Lyon coach Pierre Sage to replace Southampton’s new boss Will Still.
There is, though, still a glint of hope for the Hammers.
West Ham still have a chance as Lens struggle to agree Stassin fee
Lens are planning to sign Stassin on loan with an option-to-buy clause included. This, Walfoot says, is a rather ‘divisive’ proposal. St Etienne would also rather the fee be set at £17 million, quite the increase on the £11 million put forward by Lens.
‘This significant difference’, the publication concludes, ‘is currently holding up the finalisation of the deal’.
West Ham are not entirely out of the running just yet, then, for a man who was labelled the finest striker aged 21 or under in Europe’s major leagues last term. In Rising Stars’ Under-21 Team of the Season, Stassin spearheaded a hypothetical attack containing Lamine Yamal and Desire Doue.
However, with West Ham still awaiting their first big sale of the summer window, Lens have the chance to reach a compromise with St Etienne before their rival suitors from across the sea even escape the starting gate.
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