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West Ham signing this 27-year-old Frenchman would be a shrewd move to strengthen the defence

Why West Ham should reignite their interest in Layvin Kurzawa in January

According to a previous report from the Daily Star in August, West Ham were interested in making a move for out-of-favour PSG left-back Layvin Kurwaza in the summer transfer window. 

However, the Hammers opted against firming up their interest in the 27-year-old French international, with Manuel Pellegrini laying more emphasis on strengthening his attacking resources with big-money deals for striker Sebastien Haller and Spanish playmaker Pablo Fornals. 

The same report suggested that PSG were ready to entertain offers for Kurzawa but West Ham dropped their interest in the £14 million-rated left-back after making an initial enquiry over his availability. 

Meanwhile, West Ham have made a decent start to their Premier League campaign and a goalless draw at Villa Park on Monday night meant that the East Londoners finished Round 5 placed 8th in the standings. 

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Pellegrini’s side have responded pretty well after a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Man City on opening day, with victories over Watford and Norwich City sandwiched by draws against Brighton and Aston Villa

Indeed, Haller’s instant impact in the Premier League has been one of the positives from West Ham’s start to the campaign but, if the first five games are anything to go by, the manager still has plenty of work to do to put up a formidable unit at the back. 

Given the club’s limited budget this summer, Pellegrini was apparently happy to put his trust in Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku as the two options at left-back but that decision has already shown signs of backfiring. 

Cresswell’s lack of pace and agility was exposed badly by Man City last month, while Masuaku reiterated his mercurial and impetuous nature as a defender by getting sent off needlessly in the goalless draw at Villa Park. 

Truth be told, West Ham’s frailties down the left-hand side of the backline could be exposed even further later on in the campaign if the likes of Cresswell and Masuaku do not improve on their current form and any sort of injury to either of those two players would be enough to give Pellegrini a big headache. 

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With that in mind, the Hammers should go back in the market for Layvin Kurzawa in January in a bid to add some much-needed depth and quality to their left-back ranks. 

The hugely experienced 27-year-old could have been a quality addition at an affordable price for West Ham, and while they certainly missed a trick by not signing him in the summer, the Hammers should look to mend their stance by going all out in their pursuit of the Frenchman in January.

Kurwaza rose to prominence with Monaco in Ligue 1 and established himself as one of the best left-backs in his homeland before earning a move to the French capital with heavyweights PSG back in 2015.

His time at the Parc des Princes hasn’t been a particularly productive one, though, with the left-back finding his opportunities limited due to a few injury problems and stiff competition for places. Despite that, however, he has still managed an impressive tally of 12 goals and 19 assists in 102 appearances across all competitions. 

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A three-time Ligue 1 winner with PSG, Kurwaza’s lack of regular minutes has somewhat affected his stocks in the market but the 13-cap French international continues to be a quality player, nevertheless. 

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To sum it up, Kurzawa, with his well-rounded attacking and defensive qualities, would be an instant upgrade on Masuaku and Cresswell and, in all honesty, West Ham need more quality at the back if they are really serious about challenging for a European spot this season.