West Ham United reportedly want to bring Abdoulaye Toure from Ligue 1 to the Premier League but can the Nantes star shine in England?
Nantes boss Christian Gourcuff didn’t sound too hopeful when discussing the future of West Ham United target Abdoulaye Toure in his Friday press conference, admitting to France Bleu that ‘anything can happen’ before this week’s transfer deadline.
Toure is hardly a new name to the gossip columns and he returned with a vengeance on Wednesday when France Football mentioned the London Stadium as a potential destination for a powerhouse midfielder.
It is no secret that the Hammers are desperate to ease the workload on Mark Noble and Declan Rice in the centre of the park. And Toure, who is valued at £12.5 million, could add energy and strength to a vulnerable West Ham underbelly.
Nantes are used to seeing their key players depart on a regular basis with the likes of Sevilla, Marseille and Schalke raiding the Stade de la Beaujoire in recent years. And Gourcuff made a rather daunting reference to Nantes’ ‘selling club’ status when asked about Toure’s future.
“I know how it goes, we lost Valentin Rongier (to Marseille) during the last transfer window, so anything can happen,” said the former Algeria coach, who seemed worryingly resigned to Toure’s fate.
“I know that by January 31st, a lot can happen.”
An all-action enforcer who has drawn comparisons with former West Ham man Cheikhou Kouyate, Toure has goals to his game too with six since the start of the 2018/19 campaign.
The 25-year-old is also Nantes’ captain. His leadership and experience would be invaluable in West Ham’s dressing room, particularly with Pablo Zabaleta retiring and Noble not getting any younger.
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