While confirmation of David Moyes’ departure at the end of the current campaign brings an end to one long-running West Ham United saga, there may be a few chapters remaining in another.
Julen Lopetegui, after impressing David Sullivan during initial talks with The Hammers honcho a fortnight ago, is now seen as the inevitable successor to the Conference League-winning Scot.
And with The Standard reporting that a busy summer of incomings and outgoings lies ahead – West Ham United reportedly planning around six new signings – the club’s long-running pursuit of a centre-forward Lopetegui knows very well may be in line for a revisit.
West Ham are long-time Youssef En-Nesyri fans
“A few days ago a Premier club called me again. An important team,” the agent of Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri said back in 2021 (ABC de Sevilla). “They asked me what was Youssef’s situation. I told them directly that it didn’t matter, that Youssef didn’t want to leave Sevilla, that he wouldn’t.
“They insisted and told me if they could offer something. I explained the situation well to them.”
That club in question is understood to have been West Ham, submitting a £27 million bid for a centre-forward who would remain on their wishlist for years to come.
HITC understands they are still keen, even now, on a striker who is still only 26.
Now, the imminent appointment of Lopetegui – and the fact that En-Nesyri has just 12 months left on his Sevilla contract – means a transfer that has been years in the making feels more achievable than ever before for a club who’s striking options contain the 35-year-old Michail Antonio and a fading Danny Ings.
En-Nesyri was part of the Sevilla side which beat Inter Milan in the 2020 Europa League final under Lopetegui. He also enjoyed the most prolific season of his career (24 goals) alongside the former Wolves, Real Madrid and Spain boss.
And while the Morocco international might not have broken the 20-goal barrier since Lopetegui’s departure from Andalusia, a tally of 18 goals last season and 17 this for a Sevilla side who have spent much of the last two years battling against relegation surely means En-Nesyri is – if not one of the finest number nines in Europe – then certainly one of the most underrated.
Julen Lopetegui surely needs a striker at London Stadium
To best sum up the strengths of 6ft 2ins En-Nesyri, scorer of two goals in last season’s 3-0 hammering of Manchester United en route to another Europa League crown, watch and gasp at the header he scored against Spain at the 2018 World Cup, and the one he scored against Portugal in Qatar four years later.
Soaring through the air, almost as if he has trampolines for boots, before powering a header into the back of the net. En-Nesyri, with the spring of a salmon, is maybe the most unplayable striker in Europe’s major leagues when it comes to outjumping centre-halves and turning even the most looping of crosses into goalscoring opportunities.
With James Ward-Prowse on set-piece duty, with Jarrod Bowen and Vladimir Coufal providing ammunition from the right, the prospect of an En-Nesyri – Lopetegui reunion at West Ham is a mouth-watering one indeed.
“It’s almost impossible to defend against him when the ball is delivered in properly,” Spanish football expert Terry Gibson told El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast back in April 2023.
“You can see him on the move, and he jumps… He’s got a fantastic leap. You then lean towards the opinion that it is actually impossible to stop him if the delivery is right. His movement his good, and his technique has improved with his heading.
“You can try and get close and tight. Impede the player as much as you possibly can. But when you get a big, strong, dynamic player full of determination, there’s very little you can do.”