Premier League strugglers West Ham United have held initial talks to sign Ligue 2 starlet Formose Mendy with Amiens’ director John Williams refusing to rule out a January sale, speaking to Courrier Picard.
With Craig Dawson conspicuous by his absence from Saturday’s damaging 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, it was difficult not to draw comparisons between the situation facing the veteran defender and David Moyes’ side as a whole.
Dawson epitomised everything good about the Hammers during the past few seasons; silencing the critics while going about his business with a dogged determination. And his potentially imminent departure has an ‘end of an era’ sort of vibe to it.
With West Ham slowly losing their identity, the spirit and the solidity that characterised successive top-seven finishes and that stirring Europa League run, it seems oddly poetic that now could be the time for the £7 million-rated Dawson to say his goodbyes.
PWest Ham United target Amiens’ Formose Mendy as Wolves eye Craig Dawson
Moyes admitted, during his Friday press conference, that Wolves had submitted a bid for the 32-year-old former West Brom stalwart. Dawson remains keen on a return to the Midlands, his family based far closer to Wolverhampton than East London.
With all that speculation raging, Dawson was dropped from the matchday squad as West Ham lost to what could be his future employers at Molineux.
The uncertainty surrounding Dawson’s future at the London Stadium, then, may encourage West Ham to step up their interest in Amiens’ 22-year-old Senegal international Formose Mendy. According to The Athletic, ‘exploratory talks’ have already begun.
And John Williams, Amiens’ sporting director, is refusing to rule out a sale.
“There are no untransferable players,” Williams admits; insisting that a replacement must be found before Mendy is allowed to go. “Everything is a question of price. He is of interest to a lot of clubs.”
Part of the Senegal squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup; Mendy is a right-footed centre-half standing tall at 6ft 3ins. Stylistically and positionally, he looks every inch a Dawson replacement.
Champions League-chasing Lens have seen an opening bid of £7 million rejected for Mendy. He is under contract until the summer of 2025.
West Ham slipped into the relegation zone this weekend. They are now level on points with bottom club Southampton, and face a daunting run of fixtures. Newcastle United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are all looming on the horizon. Ditto a resurgent West Ham, Brighton and Nottingham Forest.
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