Why Michy Batshuayi to West Ham would boost their attacking options
According to HNL (h/t The Sun), West Ham are keen on signing Chelsea outcast Michy Batshuayi in the summer to bolster their attack.
Batshuayi, 26, is a product of Standard Liege’s youth academy. He moved to Marseille in the summer of 2014 and enjoyed two successful seasons in France. His performances earned him a move to Chelsea two years later. But he hasn’t been able to perform at his best.
He was sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Crystal Palace but none of these has helped him. The report suggests that Chelsea are willing to offload the £90,000-a-week star. Thus, West Ham should use this opportunity and lure the Belgian to their side.
The Hammers have endured a disappointing campaign so far. Their performance earlier in the campaign saw Manuel Pellegrini lose his job as they were hovering near the relegation zone without any improvement. David Moyes’ second spell in charge of West ham got off to a good start but the results didn’t last long.
While Moyes’ men have scored a paltry 35 goals so far, the defence has conceded 50 goals in 29 league games. Overall, they have been inconsistent and as a result, they find themselves at 16th place in the table. The Hammers are level on points with the relegation-threatened Bournemouth.
Thus, it is clear that the manager has a lot of work to do ahead of next season. West ham need to bring in reinforcements to the squad if they are to do better in further campaigns.
Batshuayi should be given a chance to lead their attack
One of the key areas that Moyes needs to focus on strengthening is the striking department. Sebastien Haller and Albian Ajeti are the only two centre-forwards available at the manager’s disposal but none of them has played a significant role to carry the team forward.
Frenchman Haller has scored just 7 goals in 29 games across all competitions and has failed to live up to the expectations. And Ajeti has featured in just 8 league games, without a single start. The Swiss international has failed to convince the manager and is yet to open his account in the league.
In that regard, signing Batshuayi would help the club as it would give them another option. The former Lyon man may not have played enough this season but he has already racked up 8 goals in 25 games across all competitions this term despite playing fewer minutes than Haller.
The Belgian international has made 328 career appearances and his experience would be a massive boost to Moyes’ squad. He can develop himself with West Ham and could be a crucial player if he is able to regain the same form he showed with Lyon. With enough opportunities, he could be the right person to lead the Hammers attack.
Read more
- Why West Ham would be stronger at the back with Joakim Maehle
- Why Robby McCrorie to West Ham would solve their goalkeeping issues
Verdict
With a lack of quality up front, West Ham are in dire need of strikers to lead their attacking unit. At the same time, Batshuayi needs to be playing regularly to keep his spot on the national team. And he could provide them with the much-needed depth in the squad. Thus, the Hammers should manage to lure the Belgian to London stadium this summer.
