Former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has told Football Insider that Lyon striker Moussa Dembele would be a “fantastic” signing for the Irons in the January transfer window.
McAvennie also suggested the 24-year-old, who has been linked with a move to the Hammers, may have fallen out with his Ligue 1 club given his perceived decline in game-time this season.
The 60-year-old said: “He must have had a fallout at Lyon because ability-wise you would put him in the team. Something has happened there because he was doing very, very well.”
Dembele has played 10 times this season in the French top flight, although half of those came as a substitute and he has yet to register a goal or an assist in 2020/21. [Transfermarkt]
His current plight in front of goal is in stark contrast to last term when the former Celtic man, who has represented France at under 21-level, scored 16 league goals and two in the Champions League, one of which helped eliminate Manchester City at the quarter-final stage.
Despite his poor showings this season, McAvennie says David Moyes would benefit from the striker’s services and thinks he could aim even higher, saying: “No disrespect to West Ham but I think Moussa Dembele could play for one of the top six teams. He can score goals for fun.”
Dembele was prolific during his time with Celtic, and former Scotland under-21 striker McAvvennie is backing him to recapture that prowess, saying: “If West Ham could get him I would take him. He is a fantastic striker who puts himself about and is always willing to take the ball. He knows where the goal is, that is for sure. Dembele could even play up top alongside Antonio. That would be a wonderful partnership I think.”
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His current struggles aside, Dembele has previously scored goals wherever he has been and has a more than respectable return bordering on a goal every two games throughout his career.
A switch to London wouldn’t be out of the question from the player’s point of view, having spent the early part of his career in the capital after making his way through the Fulham ranks.
Credited with a market value of a hefty £36m according to Transfermarkt, the Hammers may be priced out of a deal. However, given the current financial climate, they may be able to negotiate an agreement for less than that figure.
