West Ham United eye Baggie winger Nacer Chadli in player swap

On August 8th of last year, Andre Ayew broke the West Ham United transfer fee record for a sum of £20.5 million. Since then, Ayew has showed periodic glimmers of the talent that lies within, but nothing that’s resembled his sparkling 2015 form with Swansea. So much so, when returning from the African Cup of Nations, Ayew found it difficult to break back into a first team that was struggling mightily.

So it is to no great surprise to see David Sullivan claw his way around the Premier League looking for a winger to compliment the rest of the Hammer front line. The early favorite to join the Hammers is, of course, Marko Arnautović, however there are contenders to step up if that deal should fall through.

Enter, Nacer Chadli.

Many of you probably know Nacer more from his days playing under Mauricio Pochettino while with Tottenham Hotspur, however, with so much competition around him, Nacer opted for more playing time and was transferred to West Bromwich Albion. Chadli was good enough with Spurs to earn his spot on a very talented Belgian national team, though mostly came on as a late match substitute.

Reports have suggested the big Belgian and manager Tony Pulis have fallen out after repeated arguments. Over what, one could only speculate. However, it’s reached a boiling point where the Baggies are looking to potentially unload Nacer, and they’ve taken interest in Ayew.

Ayew and Chadli are both 27, versatile in position, and looking to prove themselves and the money they’ve warranted in the past. While playing for Spurs, Chadli amassed 25 goals in three years, while only netting 5 in his debut season with West Brom. Whether it is because of the service, managerial play style, or just poor form - is anyone’s guess.

Personally, I’ve been a fan of Nacer Chadli for quite some time. He’s a bullish winger who will make someone pay for their mistakes and has used his substitution time to showcase his talents. When looking at his 2016 campaign, West Brom were a strong team who struggled to score. Their second leading goal scorer was a defender in Gareth McAuley and as a team they finished just under 15th place Swansea in goals scored. Given the right service, I can see Nacer putting away 10-12 in a full season.

This is one rumor, I definitely don’t mind.