Footballers as naturally gifted as Mohammed Kudus certainly do not grow on trees, meaning West Ham United won’t have it easy finding a replacement for Tottenham Hotspur’s new £54.5 million man before September 1st.
While Kudus swapped West Ham for Champions League-bound Spurs on the back of a poor individual campaign – only five goals and three assists to show from 31 top-flight starts – his departure still robs Graham Potter of one of the few players in the London Stadium dressing room capable of winning a match in a moment.
Genuine game-changers are in relatively short supply these days at West Ham United. Like-for-like replacements of equal quality, meanwhile, appear even more sparse.
Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Georgiy Sudakov laughed off rumours linking him with a move to the English capital last week. Marcus Tavernier of AFC Bournemouth, meanwhile, has the feel of a downgrade even if his role in The Cherries’ impressive two-year stint under Andoni Iraola should not be underestimated.
As for Ademola Lookman, if the former Fulham, Leicester City, Everton and Charlton winger is to leave Atalanta this summer, all the signs appear to point towards Inter Milan.
Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi says Ademola Lookman wants to leave amid West Ham United rumours
It was Sacha Tavolieri, while claiming that the London Stadium outfit are in pole position for Raphael Onyedika of Club Brugge, who told Sky Sports that Ademola Lookman was lined up to succeed Mohammed Kudus.
But while Onyedika still feels like a realistic possibility – Hammers News understands the Nigerian enforcer is Kyle Macaulay’s first pick in the midfield department – the same cannot be said of Lookman.
Not with Atalanta reportedly demanding £43 million. La Dea rejected a £39 million loan-to-buy offer from Serie A rivals Inter Milan this week, despite Lookman making it clear that he wants a fresh start after three highly-successful years in Bergamo.
“Ademola has been expressing his desire to leave for some time now,” Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi tells reporters. “It’s no secret.
“In all our discussions, he was a player who should have left this summer, in keeping with our club’s philosophy of one sale per year.
“Despite much interest, nothing concrete had ever happened for Ademola, until yesterday when the first official offer arrived. Inter is a very friendly club. Yesterday, I saw [Inter chief executive Beppe] Marotta, with whom we have a great friendship and professional relationship.”
Inter Milan chief Beppe Marotta confirms interest in ex-Everton man
The Wandsworth-born Lookman struggled to live up to early expectations in English football. That dreadful Panenka penalty against West Ham, no less, the abiding memory in the minds of those who opt not to stray outside the Premier League’s borders.
Over in Italy, however, the Charlton academy graduate has exploded, becoming one of the elite forwards on the continent.
In addition to scoring 52 goals in 118 Atalanta appearances, Lookman also became the first player since 1969 to score a hat-trick in a major European final when single-handedly destroying Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen a year ago.
West Ham’s interest, presuming it ever existed in the first place, is unlikely to be revisited as Atalanta and Inter haggle over a deal likely to go beyond the £40 million mark.
“I won’t deny that Lookman is a major target,” confirms the aforementioned Marotta. “We have an excellent relationship with the Percassi family, and I won’t deny that I’ve exchanged a few words with Luca Percassi.
“We need to raise the bar and not be afraid to ask for good players. I can tell you this; It’s premature to say what will happen, but it’s true that he’s a player on our minds.”
“Certainly. The coach and I have agreed on the search for players with a certain versatility and who will give him the ability to play in a variety of formations. So it’s clear that Lookman is a suitable candidate, but he’s not the only one.
“Within two or three days, we’ll reach a conclusion on the meeting with Atalanta. If the conditions are right and Atalanta is available, we’ll try to initiate a concrete negotiation. Otherwise, there will be a different solution.”
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