West Ham had two bids rejected for St Etienne defender Kevin Malcuit towards the end of the January transfer window, with a third potentially on the cards this summer according to reports from France Football, as translated byÂSport Witness.The highly rated defender was allegedly subject to first an €8mÂ(£6.8m) bid, then subsequently a €10m (£8.5m) offer, both of which were shunned by the French club who were keen to hold on to the 25-year-old right back.St Etienne, who have recently been criticised for their fans’ behaviour during their recent 3-0 loss to Manchester United in the Europa League in which flares were thrown from the away end, are having a hard time in Ligue 1 at the moment.Les Verts look unlikely to break into the Champions League spots and could fall into midtable with one or two poor results, with the upper middle end of the French top tier clustered.Here are FIVE reasons West Ham should make a third bid for the defender…
Bye Bye, Antonio
Now club a talisman following the departure of Dimitri Payet, Michail Antonio has been heavily linked with a move away from the Hammers this coming summer.
The makeshift full-back, who recently earned himself an England call-up thanks to his impressive displays, has been terrific for the Irons since his switch from Nottingham Forest, excelling both at the back as well as providing a potent attacking threat from wide positions.
Antonio is West Ham’s top scorer this season and has attracted attention from league leaders Chelsea, so if he leaves he’ll need replacing.
Or Not
Even if Antonio is not to leave the club this summer, as previously mentioned, he is a ‘makeshift’ right-back, albeit a darn good one.
His eight goals and three assists thus far suggest that the Englishman is far better suited to playing further up the pitch, and could become the attacker West Ham have craved over the past few years if given the opportunity to be just that.
Signing a natural full-back in Kevin Malcuit would allow this to happen.
Attacking Threat
Near enough all modern full-back have to be a somewhat of a double-edged sword these days. It is not good enough to be simply a solid defender, nor a brilliant attacker – they must be both.
Take the world’s best, for example, Jordi Alba, Marcelo, Kyle Walker (insert laughing emoji). They all possess both traits, and as does Kevin Malcuit. He’s solid at the back, and the Frenchman is also a potent attacking threat – heÂcompleted the most dribbles by one player in a Ligue 1 game this season vs. Nancy in December.
Versatility
Notoriously struck with injuries, the Hammers have more often than not been caught out by their lack of strength in depth, and when one of their key men goes missing they have a horrible tendency to fall to pieces. An example of this was the absence of Aaron Creswell earlier this season – the left-back had been a major part of Bilic’s plans, so his injury woes were felt.
Another thing Malcuit brings to the table is his versatility. Able to play on both flanks as a full-back, the 25-year-old has also been utilised as a winger and even a makeshift defensive midfielder this season due to the combination of his ability on the ball and reading of the game. Having a player such as this can be a huge bonus when injuries strike.
Help Needed
West Ham have conceded 43 goals this season in the league alone. That is the highest of any team in the top half of the table, and besides the clubs in the bottom three, is the worst in the league bar Bournemouth and Swansea.
For a club whose ambition should be to challenge for Europe, that is simply not good enough. A solid defence is the key for any successful club, and having signed Jose Fonte during the January transfer window it looks as if the Hammers are looking to re-shape their back four. Bringing in further quality in the form of Malcuit would only boost that revamp.