OPINION
West Ham have been rather successful in the summer transfer window so far, but one of their plans could be scuppered by one of last season’s top-six Premier League clubs.
The Mirror have reported that with Arsenal keen on recruiting Torino forward M’Baye Niang, the Hammers need to beat the Gunners to get their hands on him.
The British tabloid stated that with Gazzetta dello Sport claiming that both Premier League sides were in the hunt for Niang, the Premier League rivals were set to go head to head for him this summer.
The Irons have not had much competition when it has come to landing players this summer, but that looks to be about to change now Arsenal want the Serie A striker for themselves.
Niang is a bright young talent, and impressed a wide audience – including Unai Emery’s side and the big spending Hammers – on the World Cup stage for Senegal, who narrowly missed out on progressing from the group stages.
He left a mark on his club Torino, with his performances whilst on loan for them earning him a move on a permanent basis – showing a glimpse of the promising talent during his younger years at AC Milan.
The 23-year-old may not have had the best goal record last season – he netted four goals – but he definitely deserves the chance to play in the Premier League once again under the guidance of West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini.
At the Emirates, he is likely to be on the bench, meaning he will not be getting much playing time and the first team experience he needs to be an established forward.
Whereas at West Ham, Pellegrini may play him just off strikers like Marko Arnautovic, giving him the first-hand experience of playing in the top-flight.
Niang has a tad of experience playing in the Premier League whilst on loan at Watford, and this may serve him well if he decides to choose the Hammers over Arsenal.
Nevertheless, West Ham must move swiftly and pounce for the attacker before Arsenal get there first.
