West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan is favouring a move to sign Brentford sensation Said Benrahma over Queens Park Rangers’ Eberechi Eze, according to Football Insider.
West Ham are believed to be analysing potential summer targets and have placed a great deal of consideration on Benrahma and Eze, with boss David Moyes and club chiefs eager to lure a hungry and talented playmaker to the London Stadium.
The Irons feel the first-team is lacking a creative type who can provide goals and assists for years to come, having seen Pablo Fornals and Robert Snodgrass end the current Premier League season as their top-creators with five assists each.
Mark Noble also ended the campaign with the Irons’ most key passes in the top-flight with 44, 11 more than Snodgrass and 13 more than Manuel Lanzini whose future at the London Stadium is in doubt.
It is expected that West Ham will make a move for one of Eze or Benrahma, and that Sullivan is beginning to favour the latter due to the Algerian being represented by Will Salthouse.
Sullivan and Salthouse have done business together previously, with fellow Unique Sports Management clients Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, Ryan Fredericks and Darren Randolph already at the London Stadium.
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Having connections with Benrahma’s agent, who is believed to have a close friendship with Sullivan’s sons, could help the Hammers beat out rival interest from Chelsea, who have been linked with a £20million agreement to make the Algerian a part of Frank Lampard’s offence for next season.
West Ham would face a similar fee to sign Eze from QPR following reports the Loftus Road natives have set their stall £20m hoping it sparks a bidding war, and that any offer below their valuation would be seen as an insult.
Eze and Benrahma both enjoyed stand-out campaigns in the Championship for their attacking prowess, with the QPR winger boasting 14 goals and eight assists to the Brentford forward’s 17 goals and nine assists.
Sullivan favouring Benrahma would not only add a 24-year-old with a higher goal involvement than 22-year-old Eze, but the Algerian also averaged more key passes (2.1 to 1.8), shots (3.8 to 2.2) and successful dribbles (3.1 to 3.0) per second-tier game this season, according to WhoScored data.
West Ham may have to hope Brentford’s promotion bid falters in the Play-Offs to seal a deal for Benrahma, however, with the Griffin Park outfit only trailing Swansea City 1-0 after the Play-Off First-Leg.
