Former Aston Villa and Scotland manager Alex McLeish has described West Ham as ‘hugely ambitious’ in an interview with Football Insider over their pursuit of Lyon striker Moussa Dembele.
Numerous reports have linked the Hammers with a sensational £30m January move for the French striker, and McLeish believes it would be good business, saying: “He’s (Dembele) continued to score goals in France, and again in Europe, at the international level, I don’t know if he’s been as prolific but certainly he’s playing at extremely high levels.”
The 24-year-old striker scored twice in August to eliminate Manchester City from the Champions League and McLeish believes the ex-Celtic forward would be the ideal fit for David Moyes’ squad.
He said: “Dembele’s been linked for a long time with English teams. David Moyes, with Antonio injured for a while, he’s maybe a little bit short in that department and it seems like David flourishes more with a player whose hold-up play is extremely good.”
Describing the 23-year-old as a “born goalscorer”, McLeish added: “I wasn’t sure if he was top level but I guess if he was then Liverpool, Man City and that would be coming in for him – Man United were linked with him.
“West Ham are hugely ambitious and they will have done their homework and superbly well enough to say that if Dembele comes in, I would say that they must have done their homework, 100 per cent.”
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Whilst the links to Dembele remain speculative, any genuine interest from would likely be greatly received by Irons fans collectively.
With the Lyon striker valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, the reported fee of £30m would present value for money, especially as goals are the most valuable commodity in a striker’s game.
Dembele has already plundered 114 senior goals in his career despite his young age, with a few of those coming in the Champions League (Transfermarkt).
Therefore, it’s not hard to see why McLeish has commended West Ham’s ambition to try and sign someone who indeed fits the description of “born goalscorer”.
