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Scouting expert: West Ham United using financial muscle to take Amadou Onana from France
We’re delighted to welcome Football Manager’s Wolves researcher Dave Azzopardi as our exclusive columnist. Each week the scouting expert will be giving his views on the biggest talking points on Wonderkids across the UK…
West Ham are using their financial muscle to take the top talent out of France and earn their way to a better Premier League finish, according to Dave Azzopardi.
The Hammers have been linked with a move for Amadou Onana from Lille this summer, having a bid worth £32m rejected already in the window despite the Ligue 1 club signing him for just £5m last summer.
But with such excellent talent on the continent, the Premier League’s monster finances give them an advantage in poaching them and that’s something that West Ham are trying to use to establish themselves inside the top six.
“I don’t know a huge amount about him, but I know that just in general the French league at the moment is producing some really good, talented players,” he told The Football Wonderkids.
“Obviously the financial power in France isn’t the same as it is in the UK and abroad, so it’s easy for English clubs to use the French market to bring these players in.
“West Ham have proved over the last couple of years that they’re a good team who deserve to be at the top end of the Premier League table.”
West Ham have made three bids for the 20-year-old Belgian international, but Lille are said to be holding out for around £50m to let the central midfielder leave the club this summer.
David Moyes wants a midfielder to compliment Declan Rice after losing Mark Noble and Alex Kral at the end of last season.
In other West Ham news, Armando Broja has been told to leave Chelsea amid interest from the Hammers