OPINION
With Manuel Pellegrini reportedly ready to offer a player like a Andy Carroll a chance then midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate surely will be handed an opportunity to save his West Ham career.
The misfiring forward is to be offered a clean slate by his new boss after last season, according to The Sun, in order to justify staying at the London Stadium and he’s fortunate for that chance.
Carroll has struggled to be the player the club require him to be for multiple seasons and should be thankful for his opportunity, however if Pellegrini is aiming to see players rise from the ashes, he should look no further than Kouyate.
After previously impressing in his past campaigns, shown by the fact he was handed a new five-year deal in 2016 according to Sky Sports, the 28-year-old endured a living nightmare in his latest season, submitting bad performance after bad performance in the 37 outings he made across all competitions.
Yet the midfielder, who earns £60,000-a-week (Spotrac), could be Pellegrini’s ideal juggernaut in midfield next season if he’s able to get back to his best.
The experienced manager has overseen his fair share of struggling players in his career and with his wisdom should be able to aid Kouyate’s rise from the ashes of his once glorious Hammers career, if the midfielder puts in the work.
It’s arguable that Kouyate’s displays last season were a result of a few niggling injuries that held him back from building any sort of momentum when it came to his form.
The 28-year-old had to deal with a knee injury, a hamstring injury, an ankle injury and even had wrist surgery, according to Football.London, last summer that no doubt affected his pre-season.
With a good summer of training under his belt and a wise new manager to help him overcome his issues, the box-to-box midfielder could be a dominate force in the Premier League once again.
It would be an unwise decision not to see him allowed one more roll of the dice at the London Stadium, it was reported by Football.London in April that he could be set for an exit, as he has all the attributes still in place to do well.
Therefore for his sake, Kouyate must rise from the ashes of his former glory to be Pellegrini’s very own juggernaut or be kicked out the club at the next viable opportunity as clearly his best days would have past him by.
