West Ham United winger Maxwel Cornet is attracting interest from another Premier League club in the final hours of the January transfer window, according to The Telegraph.
Transfer Deadline Day is almost upon us and English clubs have, for the majority, failed to dabble in the opportunity to strengthen their squads over the last month.
The Hammers are one of the only clubs in the top flight to get business done with the acquisition of Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips joining for the second half of the season, but will not have the chance to stay in East London as there is no option to buy attached to the loan deal.
West Ham are currently sixth in the Premier League table and have comfortably reached the knockout stages of the Europa League, so keeping up the momentum and positive performances will be crucial to having a successful season.
Now Moyes could have a big decision on his hands, as reports suggest today that Crystal Palace are interested in snapping up the services of Irons forward Maxwel Cornet.
The Telegraph claim that Roy Hodgson is an admirer of the winger who could cover as a wing-back in Palace’s system and the South London club would be interested in loaning Cornet over the remainder of the season.
Will Maxwel Cornet leave West Ham?
There is no doubt that a loan move could be an excellent opportunity for Cornet to gain more experience and game time, as his appearances with West Ham are often few and far between.
Cornet has only featured twice for the Hammers in the Premier League this season which is a clear indicator that Moyes doesn’t trust the player to perform at the level he expects and gets from his other attacking threats.
Indeed, the Ivory Coast international did find the back of the net against Sheffield United earlier this month, but does seem to be surplus to requirements at the East London outfit and could find that a temporary move away to another Premier League side could be exactly what he needs to become competitive for a spot in the forward line when he returns in the summer.
On the flip side, Cornet is an experienced professional that can provide the squad with depth in a number of key roles on the pitch, especially with games in Europe coming thick and fast, Moyes will need to be confident that he has enough players to cover positions when needed.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see whether Moyes will sanction the move for the sake of the player’s progression or take a more cautious approach due to a need for squad depth when competing in multiple competitions over the rest of the season.
