LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 11: David Moyes, Manager of West Ham United, looks on prior to the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg match between West Ham United and AZ Alkmaar at London Stadium on May 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
West Ham: Hammers “stepping up interest” in Elye Wahi
The Montpellier forward is an exciting young player.
West Ham have been linked with a move for Montpellier forward Elye Wahi in the summer transfer window and now a new update has emerged.
How good is Elye Wahi?
The 20-year-old is an exciting young prospect making a name for himself in France, having made the leap from Montpellier’s B team back in 2020. He has scored 32 goals in just 92 appearances for his current club, which is an impressive return for someone who is still so young.
Wahi’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed across Europe and there is the possibility that he could look for a new challenge before the end of the current transfer window. His current Montpellier deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2025, and while that is still two years away, they will know that they could begin to earn less for him the closer the deal gets to running out.
West Ham are looking for attacking reinforcements this summer, and they have been linked with a move for Wahi recently, seeing him as a good option to come in and bolster the choices at David Moyes’ disposal.
The Irons are thought to be closing in on the signature of Ajax superstar Mohammed Kudus, with personal terms reportedly agreed, and Wahi could be next up on the agenda going by this latest update.
Will West Ham sign Elye Wahi?
According to The Guardian‘s Jacob Steinberg on Twitter X, West Ham are “stepping up” their interest in Wahi alongside Kudus, going into more detail in the report itself:
“Steidten is also driving the interest in Wahi, who scored 19 goals in Ligue 1 last season. The France Under-21 striker has interest from Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain but West Ham are serious contenders for his signature. West Ham are set to hold initial talks with Montpellier, who are asking for £30m.
“Moyes wants a striker and West Ham had a £40m bid for Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke rejected last month. They retain an interest in Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun and Feyernoord’s Santiago Giménez is another on their list.”
Wahi could be a great option for West Ham as a squad player this summer, coming in as someone who can gradually make more of an impression over time. At just 20 years of age, he is still raw as a footballer, but his aforementioned record for Montpellier shows that is capable of scoring goals regularly at a high level.
Granted, the step up to the Premier League is great, but football talent scout Jacek Kulig recently outlined how the French star is now the “5th most prolific U-21 in Ligue 1 history after Kylian Mbappe, Bernard Lacombe, Karim Benzema & Yannick Stopyra”, also hailing the “truly incredible season” he had last time around.
That goes to show what a special talent Wahi is, and what a formidable footballer he could grow into over time, so West Ham snapping him up at this point in his career could prove to be a masterstroke. Whether they are able to beat others to his signature remains to be seen, but it certainly looks like they are pushing hard to get their man.
