West Ham United were keen on signing Clermont Foot striker Mohamed Bayo – and the stress of the transfer window has now taken its toll on him.
Many expected the Hammers to sign a striker this summer. Michail Antonio needed support, and West Ham were linked with many strikers.
One of them was Bayo, with Le10 Sport reporting last month that West Ham had made contact over a deal.
The transfer deadline passed without Bayo moving to West Ham though, or anywhere else for that matter.
Who is Mohamed Bayo?
Bayo, 23, was born in Clermont-Ferrand and has been with the club since joining at the age of six back in 2004.
Aside from a loan spell at Dunkerque in 2019, Bayo has been with Clermont throughout his career.
Last season, Bayo racked up a ridiculous 22 goals and seven assists in 38 games. That fired Clermont Foot to promotion, and he is now shining in Ligue 1.
With three goals and two assists in four top-flight outings, Bayo looks like he is on a path to stardom.
West Ham seemingly had a look, but chose to focus on Kurt Zouma, Nikola Vlasic and Alex Kral instead.
West Ham target Bayo left out
Clermont Foot faced Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, losing 4-0 against Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
They had to do it without Bayo though, as Clermont confirmed that Bayo was left out due to the stress of the transfer window.
Bayo was also part of the Guinea squad who had to flee the country during the international break amid a coup d’etat.
All that added together meant Clermont Foot left Bayo out, claiming he was ‘physically tired’.
“To compose his attack, Pascal Gastien will nevertheless be deprived of Mohamed Bayo,” the statement read. “Following a transfer window weighing on his future, the coup d’état in Guinea at the time of his selection and repeated trips, the Clermont top scorer is physically tired and has been left to rest.”
We hope all is well with Bayo and that his break helped; mental health needs to be taken more seriously in football.
Bayo will no doubt be back among the goals soon, and you can expect West Ham to keeping close tabs on him.
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