West Ham in the mix for 21m Paqueta replacement who's Payet 2.0

West Ham United supporters will understandably sit on the fence at this maiden stage of Julen Lopetegui‘s tenure, and the different aspects of the forthcoming weeks will determine which side the lion’s share decides to jump off.

Last season’s ninth-place Premier League finish has left the Hammers looking ahead to domestic contests next season, which, in some ways, provides Lopetegui with a calm and solid foundation from which to build upwards.

There are several pressing concerns. Despite signing 18-year-old winger Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras for £25.5m, more depth could be required as Ghanaian, Mohammed Kudus considers pushing for an exit after just one year.

Perhaps more concerningly, Lucas Paqueta‘s FA betting charge could see him banished from professional football, swiping West Ham of an elite-level playmaker.

It would be pertinent for Lopetegui to prudently approach the situation and seek a successor, and indeed, recent reports suggest that that might be the case.

West Ham eyeing Paqueta replacement

According to Get French Football News, West Ham are set to rival Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain for the signing of Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki.

Cherki, who is entering the final year of his contract at the Groupama Stadium, is expected to be sold this summer as the Ligue 1 outfit push to raise €100m (£85m) in player sales to combat financial concerns.

Aged 20, Cherki is a highly talented player with a sharp creative sense and could prove to be a bargain for the London Stadium side given his reported price tag of just €25m (£21m).

Rayan Cherki’s season in numbers

Cherki might be in the early stage of his professional career but he has made quite an impression for Lyon, already having notched 17 goals and 25 assists across 141 appearances.

Silky and artful, Cherki provided an influential and creative 2023/24 campaign despite Lyon’s shocking start to the season, with talent scout Jacek Kulig even describing him as the “pure difference-maker” back in March.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, he scored just one goal across his 19 starts in the French top flight but also contributed with six assists, a product of his constant flow of creativity, averaging 1.3 key passes per game and keeping it crisp with an 81% pass success rate.

More impressive, perhaps, is his combative disposition on the field and his unceasing desire to drive the ball forward, completing 2.5 dribbles per game and averaging 4.8 successful duels to boot.

He was noted as a “player with exceptional qualities” by his former manager, Rudi Garcia, and after some polish and refinement, could prove to be a tailor-made Premier League star.

West Ham may well be the perfect club to lift him toward his full potential, especially given that he could be the second coming of an iconic former Hammer.

Why West Ham are interested in Cherki

We’re talking, of course, about Dimitri Payet, whose short but spectacular stint in east London has cemented cult status that will hang at the top of the division’s sprawling tapestry for time immemorial.

West Ham signed Payet from French club Marseille for just £10m in 2015, with his almighty efforts in English football leading to cascades of praise, even dubbed “one of the most important players in Europe” by manager and compatriot Zinedine Zidane.

He posted 12 goals and 15 assists across his opening term for the Hammers but departed at the midpoint of the 2016/17 campaign, citing home sickness after the Irons regressed in cohesion and performance level.

His goal haul was impressive but barely scratches the surface concerning Payet’s brilliance. This, truly, was a barnstorming, script-overhauling machine, with his genius on the ball leaving the Premier League in awe.

With eagle-eyed vision, unmatched playmaking quality and a talismanic effect that few can replicate by half, the former France international gave West Ham some magical moments, and that could be emulated in the form of Cherki, who could also be landed for a bargain fee, welcomed from over the channel.

As per FBref, the young Frenchman ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shots taken, the top 15% for assists, the top 8% for passes attempted, the top 4% for progressive passes and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90.

Cherki has the level of technique and vision to replicate Payet’s dizzying heights with the Hammers, principally featuring centrally but also competent when placed on either flank.

It’s quite clear that Cherki has the talent to succeed in a squad like West Ham’s especially when considering that he is not too far off Paqueta’s exemplary defensive and energy-centred metrics.

The Brazilian playmaker sits deeper than most attacking midfielders and maintains a robust and all-action approach to his game. Nonetheless, Cherki has still managed to outpoint in regarding progressive passing while also eclipsing him for ball-carrying metrics.

This underscores the Lyon starlet’s athletic ability and penchant for making things happen. At West Ham, at the dawn of a new era, this could be crucial.

West Ham ranked 15th for big chances created in the Premier League last season, seemingly unable to maintain the kind of attacking spark to truly click into gear when on the advance.

With Cherki added to the fold, it could be the initiation of a transformation akin to that of when Payet waltzed in. Such is the French phenom’s prodigious talent, and such is the importance of enjoying a positive transfer window for Lopetegui, who needs to counter several pressing issues with some exciting signings.

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