West Ham must begin the unwanted task of preparing to replace the imperious Declan Rice.
One name who could fill this impending void is Ibrahim Sangare.
What’s the latest on Ibrahim Sangare to West Ham?
According to Get Football News, PSV Eindhoven are willing to let the midfielder leave having attracted interest from several top clubs.
The Dutch side value the player at around €37m (£32m), but a number of clubs are reluctant to pay such a price.
Tottenham, Liverpool and PSG have all been linked with a move in the past, but, the Hammers cannot be ruled out as a viable option for Sangare’s signature, as back in April, he was suggested as a possible replacement for Rice by the Daily Mail.
This followed news that last summer, the Irons were weighing up a £25m move for the Ivorian, but any chance of securing the titan was extinguished when he signed a new deal with the club in that window.
But, with the 2023 Europa Conference League winners set to receive a mammoth fee for their club captain, they could reignite their interest in this 6 foot 3 colossus.
How would Ibrahim Sangare fit in at West Ham?
The 29-cap international has made 133 appearances for PSV, including 45 outings in all competitions this term, whilst notching 11 goal contributions.
This season, across 29 Eredivisie games, the West African has averaged 2.3 tackles, 1.6 clearances, 81% pass accuracy in the opposition half, and 77% of his dribbles, according to Sofascore. Clearly a defensively resolute performer, this is also a player with technical elegance.
He has shown himself to be simply above the level of the Dutch league as he ranks within the top 14% outside of Europe’s top five leagues for aerials won per 90, successful take-ons per 90, progressive passes per 90, and non-penalty goals per 90.
Sangare’s possible arrival could be a further setback from Flynn Downes, who has endured a difficult debut season in East London.
Despite Tomas Soucek’s patchy form, the former Swansea man only began seven top-flight games, but when he has sparingly featured he has largely struggled to show meaningful signs of his quality.
He dismally resides in the lowest 5% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive passes per 90, progressive carries per 90, and successful take-ons per 90.
This has opened the door for Sangare, who has been described as “extraordinary” by former PSV and Ajax manager Aad de Mos.
Due to the pivot’s experience, Sangare has displayed the quality to be a regular starter for the Irons. Indeed, he would evidently be a far better option than Moyes' 2022 signing.