An agent working for the company representing West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has revealed the huge increase in the player’s value since he joined the Hammers in 2014.
Jacques Lichtenstein of Eleven Management was speaking to Belgian newspaper L’Avenir about Liverpool’s alleged interest in Anderlecht midfielder Dennis Praet when he made the comments.
Kouyate departed the Belgian club for a sum of around £7million in 2014. Lichtenstein used the Senegalese international as an example of how prices for Belgian players are overinflated compared to foreign players in the Belgian league. He said:
“Anderlecht have experienced difficulties in selling Praet, even though he was one of the youngest winners of the Golden Boot.
“As a scout from Liverpool makes a positive report about Dennis Praet, which is important. He has won the Golden Boot, is not important.
“Cheikhou Kouyaté is the perfect example. He was never in the top five and he was sold for 8 million euro (£6.8 million) to West Ham United. He is now worth 25 (£21.3 million).”
The £6.8million that West Ham originally spent on Kouyate certainly seems a steal given the versatile defensive midfielder’s form.
Kouyate has played everywhere from central midfield to right back to center back for the Hammers and rarely looks out of place in any of the roles he is tasked with.
