Late bid made: West Ham pushing to seal late signing who'd be the new Rice
da realsbet： With seven goals conceded, one goal scored and no points on the board, it would be fair to say that West Ham United’s Premier League season has got off to just about the worst start possible.
da winzada777： Graham Potter’s side looked utterly hopeless on Friday night, were played through with ease and are in desperate need of some serious steel in the middle of the park, someone like Declan Rice.
While things didn’t always go his way in East London, the former Hammers captain was determination personified, and if he were still in the side, we do not doubt that the situation would be far better at present.
Fortunately, while the Englishman is plying his trade elsewhere in the capital, it now looks like West Ham are eyeing a late move for someone who could be their new Rice.
West Ham target their new Declan Rice
West Ham’s midfield situation was not great heading into the summer, and in recent weeks it has only got worse.
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After a couple of rather uninspiring campaigns, Mexican international Edson Alvarez has left the club to join Fenerbahçe on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
The departure of the former Ajax star has left an already leggy-looking midfield in even greater need of reinforcement, specifically with younger, more energetic players.
Fortunately, the club seem to have realised the same thing, as they appear to have identified the perfect recruit, someone who could be their new Rice.
At least that is according to a recent report from Foot Mercato, which has claimed West Ham are still very interested in Soungoutou Magassa.
The report reaffirms previous claims that the Hammers made an offer of around €16m for the Frenchman, about £14m, but that Nottingham Forest have made an even better offer of €17m, about £15m, and that Atalanta are now interested as well.
It looks like the Irons are going to have something of a battle on their hands to land the AS Monaco ace, but he seems like he’d be worth it, especially as he could be their new Rice.
Why Magassa could be West Ham's new Rice
Now, while fans obviously shouldn’t expect Magassa to be on the same level as Rice to begin with, there are some apparent similarities between the two.
The first is that, like the former West Ham captain, the young Frenchman first started as an impressive centre-back, before slowly moving up the pitch and finding his best position at the base of midfield, as a six.
Therefore, if he does end up making the move to East London before the window slams shut next week, he’d be doing so to fill in where the Englishman thrived during his time at the club.
However, the similarities go deeper than just a position, as, just like the former Irons star, the tremendously “effortlessly” brilliant Monaco ace, as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, is both a monstrous presence in the midfield and a technician with the ball.
We can clearly see these two parts of his game when examining some of his outstanding underlying numbers.
Magassa’s Scout Report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
Dribblers Tackled
1.88
Top 1%
Ball Recoveries
7.59
Top 1%
Tackles (Mid 3rd)
1.81
Top 2%
Dribbles Challenged
3.62
Top 2%
Tkl+Int
5.22
Top 2%
Tackles
3.48
Top 3%
Interceptions
1.74
Top 4%
Passes Blocked
1.39
Top 6%
Switches
0.77
Top 7%
Through Balls
0.42
Top 10%
Blocks
1.74
Top 10%
Successful Take-Ons
1.11
Top 12%
Tackles (Def 3rd)
1.25
Top 14%
Touches (Mid 3rd)
42.70
Top 14%
Passes into Final Third
5.78
Top 18%
Tackles Won
1.60
Top 18%
All Stats via FBref
For example, when it comes to the defensive side of the game, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe for ball recoveries, the top 2% for tackles plus interceptions and the top 6% for passes blocked per 90.
When it comes to his ability with the ball, he’s ranked in the top 7% of midfielders for switches, the top 10% for through balls and the top 12% for successful take-ons, also all per 90.
Finally, despite still being so young, Mattinson has described the midfielder as being “composed when under pressure” and someone who has a “forward-thinking mindset,” which sounds an awful lot like the former Hammers star.
Ultimately, West Ham need young and dynamic midfield reinforcements this summer, and even though he’s not reached his full potential just yet, Magassa looks like he’d be the perfect addition, especially as he could be the club’s next Rice.