Where Will Maxwel Cornet Play For West Ham?
West Ham’s summer of fun continued on Friday [5 August], with Maxwel Cornet joining the Hammers from Burnley in a deal worth £17.5 million.
The 25-year-old penned a five-year contract, with the option of a sixth season in East London, to become the club’s fifth major signing of the window.
He follows Gianluca Scamacca, Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola, and Flynn Downes through the entrance at the London Stadium and will wear the No. 14 jersey.
“We are delighted to welcome Maxwel to West Ham United,” said David Moyes of the Ivorian. “He is a versatile player with good experience, both in the Premier League and in European football, and will add strength and quality to our squad.
“He made a big impact with his performances for Burnley last season, and he has impressed me with his desire to improve and challenge himself further here at West Ham.”
Cornet produced nine goals and one assist in 1,766 minutes for Burnley last season. Despite starting the campaign with several standout performances on the left of a 4-4-2, Sean Dyche was unimpressed by his defensive attributes and redeployed him as a centre-forward.
“We are still working on the other side of his game because in the Premier League the transition is very quick,” Dyche told Lancs Live last November.
“We know he can attack and give us something different and we have seen that. The openness of the defending side still needs a bit of understanding, the fitness and the sharpness of the Premier League. It will come together but it takes a little bit of time.”
Cornet had spent 51 percent of his playing time as a striker by the end of the season, marking a significant shift from his experiences with Lyon and Metz.
Before making the jump to the Premier League, he was almost exclusively fielded at left-back or left wing-back – his final Ligue 1 season included.
With that said, Dyche utilising Cornet as a forward was a wildcard move. And it nearly worked.
Cornet was involved in almost a third of Burnley’s Premier League strikes, turning in quality performances during a dark season for the Clarets. He couldn’t keep them up but ended the year with an enhanced reputation anyway.
And that is where the Hammers come in, sparking a fundamental question: where will Cornet play under Moyes?
There are three options, although the first is discountable.
West Ham could (but rarely will) install Cornet up front – he certainly has the skill and athleticism needed to lead the line:
However, the odds of Moyes rotating three forwards are low, with Michail Antonio and Scamacca set to receive the lion’s share of striking minutes.
Alternatively, Cornet could figure on the left of West Ham’s 4-2-3-1, offering a more dynamic alternative to Pablo Fornals. There is plenty to like about the Ivorian’s deliveries:
But it’s also worth considering Cornet as a replacement for Arthur Masuku, who left on loan to Besiktas earlier this week.
He isn’t the only versatile, left-sided player the Hammers have targeted this summer, with Moyes setting his sights on Cornet after Eintracht Frankfurt wing-back Filip Kostic rejected West Ham’s approaches.
In other words, the 25-year-old’s arrival could spark a transition from 4-2-3-1 to any number of shapes starting with a ‘five’. Moyes has experimented with those systems in the past and could field a formidable starting eleven in several back-five formations if the situation called for it:
Regardless of where he plays this term, Cornet’s versatility will be a key asset for the Hammers as they navigate another season of football on the continent.
Blimey. Let’s chalk this one up as another shrewd piece of business for West Ham.
Maxwel Cornet is the Hammers’ fifth signing of the summer, following:
Born in Brentwood, Made in the EFL: How Will Flynn Downes Help West Ham?
Guess Who’s Back? Alphonse Areola Joins West Ham (Permanently, This Time)
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