West Ham must accelerate their efforts to sign Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah.
What’s the latest on Yunus Musah?
According to recent reports in Spain, the Hammers are keenly tracking the 20-year-old, who could be an extraordinary coup and an excellent replacement for Declan Rice, who looks set to leave the London Stadium.
The club captain's contract expires in 2024, rejecting all efforts to sign a new deal, and it has been suggested that it could take offers of over £100m to force the Englishman’s departure, with David Moyes recently hinting that an exit is edging closer.
Moyes said: “We would love him to be a West Ham player but we are aware that might not be the case. That is one of the scenarios.
“Our plans are to have Dec here but we are also fully aware there is a good chance that we won't have him."
With the club all but resigned to his long-awaited and expected exit, the arrival of Musah, who has a release clause of €100m (£88m), could ease the pain and fill this void.
Why should Yunus Musah sign for West Ham?
The New York-born titan moved to London at the age of nine in 2012 and joined Arsenal’s academy.
The Gunners U16 coach Trevor Bumstead eulogised over the 24-cap international and said: “He’s got fantastic physical attributes and the drive and determination to go with that. He would play anywhere to get in the team, but his favourite was as a central attacking midfield player."
The American eventually departed north London and joined Valencia in 2019. He made his first-team debut in September 2020 and two months later, he netted in a 2-2 draw against Getafe to become the youngest non-Spanish player to score for the Mestalla outfit, aged 17 years and 338 days.
The £25k-per-week man has made 104 appearances for Los Che and has been praised by US coach Gregg Berhalter as someone who makes everything "look easy".
When ESPN published their top 39 starlets aged under 21, they lavished praise on Musah and said: “Often a victim of his own versatility, Musah has been assigned a more suitable No. 8 role in the centre of midfield for Valencia. His speed of dribbling with the ball and eagerness to press opponents are other attributes that keep Premier League clubs alert to his availability."
His chameleonic ability to seamlessly slot into a variety of positions, which has included shifts across the midfield and at right-back, means he is one of the most coveted prodigies in the world.
He ranks in the top 6% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers over the past 365 days for progressive carries per 90, as well as the highest 19% for successful take-ons, as per FBref.
To sign a talent of this versatility and skill would be a huge statement and an adequate way to reinvest the Rice money.
