After the success of January arrival Jarrod Bowen, who has four assists in his last six West Ham appearances, it seems David Moyes will direct his transfer strategy this summer towards securing more of the best the Championship has to offer. Said Benrahma has been linked with a move to the London Stadium, with a trio of current Hammers, Andriy Yarmolenko, Felipe Anderson and Abian Ajeti reportedly due to exit. The Brentford playmaker would be an excellent addition to Moyes’ squad should the Bees fail to gain promotion to the Premier League through the playoffs and could follow in Bowen’s footsteps.
In his second season in the Championship Benrahma has impressed again, scoring 17 goals from midfield in his 39 starts for the third-place finishers. That is a remarkable improvement on his ten strikes for Brentford last term, but it has come at a slight cost, with the 24-year-old’s assists dropping by six to eight this season. However, in both his Championship campaigns the Frenchman has recorded at least 24 goal involvements, suggesting he is both an adept provider and finisher in the second tier.
Benrahma’s remarkable consistency in the second tier, much like Bowen’s as he scored 52 goals, is a good indication he could make the transition to the Premier League. Though the January addition has only found the net once for West Ham, he has proven to be an incredibly potent creative threat since the restart, recording all four of his assists after the break.
With a proper preseason, a luxury Bowen was not afforded, Benrahma could integrate himself into the West Ham squad and aim to maintain the incredibly impressive end product he has displayed in the Championship, as he was directly involved in 49 goals in the last two campaigns. No Brentford player has taken on more shots per game than the 24-year-old’s 3.9, while he also has the most key passes per 90 minutes, 2.1 of any Bees player.
Throughout his spell, in the second tier, Benrahma has proven to be the perfect combination of provider and goalscorer. If Brentford fail to secure promotion via the playoffs then acquiring his services at the London Stadium could prove to be an incredibly shrewd piece of recruitment.
