West Ham accelerate savvy move for the ‘new Vincent Kompany’ and have ace card over Spurs
West Ham have stepped up their pursuit of a rising star dubbed the ‘new Vincent Kompany’ in a bid to beat rivals Spurs – and they hold the trump card in the race.
The Hammers are said to be in talks to do a very savvy deal as they look to strengthen Graham Potter’s back line after Tottenham Hotspur registered their interest this week.
West Ham’s window has burst into life thanks to fierce rivals Tottenham.
Hammers fans were furious when the club’s owners did business with Spurs to sell Mohammed Kudus for £54.5m.
Supporters knew Kudus had to be sold to raise funds for Potter to make his own signings due to PSR.
But they did not want to see Kudus sold to their rivals, knowing what he could be capable of.
West Ham and Spurs on collision course again
Time will tell whether that was a wise decision.
For the here and now, though, West Ham insisted they had little choice with Spurs being the only show in town for the Ghanaian and money urgently needed for signings.
The Hammers wasted little time in putting the funds to good use, signing brilliant young Senegalese left wingback El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague in a deal worth up to £23m.
Former Tottenham Hotspur star Kyle Walker-Peters will also be announced as West Ham’s second signing on a free transfer in the coming days.
Spurs had shown interest in their former player – but the Hammers have won the race with the offer of a three-year deal collapsing Walker-Peters’ move to Besiktas.
Tottenham and Kudus have been goading the Irons since the deal to take him to north London.
Spurs’ announcement video for the deal showed Kudus saying he ‘only wanted Spurs’.
Now the Hammers could be set for a measure of revenge.
Because West Ham are accelerating a savvy move for the ‘new Vincent Kompany‘ and have the ace card over Spurs.
Both the Hammers and Spurs are looking to sign a new centre-back this summer.
West Ham move for ‘new Kompany’ and have ace card over Spurs
That has put the two sides on a collision course over top Belgian talent Koni De Winter.
De Winter is a quick, versatile 23-year-old centre-back who can also play full-back on both sides and even as a defensive midfielder.
That has earned him comparisons with his compatriot, the brilliant former Man City captain Kompany, which he accepts and wants to live up to.
“All my life I have been told I play like Vincent Kompany,” he told The i Paper earlier this year.
“I have this ability to make runs with the ball like he did, I have the same technical side. It’s a really big name, so I one day hope to be able to live up to him.”
The 6ft 3in star had been at Juventus but was loaned to Genoa, who made his move permanent for around £6m last summer.
When head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay arrived at the London Stadium in January, West Ham were instantly linked with a summer move for De Winter.
Tottenham became a big problem this week, though.
Because The i Paper claimed Spurs had opened talks with Genoa about a deal for De Winter, and that the Italian side would be willing to accept just £22m for the international centre-back.
It was stated talks were ongoing but no bid had yet been made by Thomas Frank’s side.
That has left the door open for the Hammers and they’ve kicked it down according to a new report from Italy.
Savvy Hammers can have ice cream Koni with a Cornet and eat it
Gazzetta dello Sport claims West Ham have now made their move to try and sign De Winter following the registering of interest from Tottenham.
Gazzetta confirm Genoa want around £22m and say the defender is ‘highly appreciated by Potter’.
The ace card in West Ham’s favour – besides a greater guarantee of playing time – is that Genoa still want Hammers flop Maxwel Cornet, who the Hammers are willing to include in the deal.
Cornet spent the second half of last season on loan at Genoa under Patrick Vieira, who wants him back for next season.
Cornet, who has barely kicked a ball for West Ham since signing for £17.5m from Burnley three years ago, is not in Potter’s plans.
So not only does including the Ivory Coast winger in the deal give West Ham the edge over Tottenham, it will also make the move even cheaper for the Hammers.
It would be Cornet’s biggest, most meaningful contribution for West Ham yet.
And with the Kudus cash in hand, the funds are there to get it done.
