OPINION
It can often come as a shock to supporters that their club may sell a regular player in the senior team, as it is often the fringe players who bid farewell to their team mates.
However, this is not the case for defensive midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, who West Ham are willing to sell, despite rejecting Crystal Palace’s opening offer of £11 million, according to Football London.
The Hammers are willing to hold out for £15 million for the 6″2 (source: Transfermarkt) enforcer – and they are right to knock back their rivals’ first bid, despite the Senegal international not having the most successful of seasons last term.
He was a regular under David Moyes, but the manager did not have much choice at the time, given that there were not any other suitable options. Kouyate had a woeful season in the middle of the park, and the club must bin him – but at the right price.
While £15 million may appear like a lot of money for an under-performing player, he was a regular in the first team, and managed to ensure that his side had another season of top-flight football.
Nevertheless, the Hammers have now brought in reinforcements to make sure that they do have other options in each position, and Kouyate – who is on £60,000 a week (source: Spotrac) – definitely does not fit into those plans.
Palace need strengthening after their relegation-threatened season and are likely to increase their offer by £4 million in order to buffer up their squad, which is likely to result in them taking the 28-year-old off the Irons’ hands.
This will be a blessing in disguise for boss Manuel Pellegrini – not only will he have an unfavoured player off the books, he will have also recouped £15 million to reinvest elsewhere.
West Ham will be hoping that the Eagles will come back with a renewed bid imminently so that their stance will change, and that Kouyate can pack his bags for good.
