West Ham United could complete the signing of Burnley’s Maxwel Cornet after triggering his release clause.
Sky Sports reports on the West Ham news:
"West Ham have agreed a deal with Burnley for the signing of Maxwel Cornet.The Hammers have met the £17.5m release clause and Cornet is travelling to London tonight for a medical."
Burnley who was relegated from their Premier League last season began life in the Championship with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town. Cornet did not feature in the match.
West Ham kicks off their season on Sunday with a tough match against Manchester City at the London Stadium.
Cornet’s Career So Far
Cornet was born in Bregbo in the Ivory Coast but started his career at the French club Metz. He made 25 appearances for the club, scoring once before joining Lyon.
At Lyon, he played 252 times and scored 51 goals and made 29 assists. He also represented them in both the Champions League and the Europa League. Man City fans will remember him scoring against their side and helping Lyon to knock them out at the quarter-final stage of Europe’s premier competition in 2020.
Then in 2021 Cornet joined Burnley and last season he made 28 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals but ultimately could not prevent them from going down.
He was capped by France up to the U21 level but switched to representing the Ivory Coast at the senior level. He has 29 caps for his country with six goals.
Unfortunately, the Ivory Coast will not be at the World Cup in Qatar later this year after they finished 2nd to Cameroon in Group D of the African qualifiers.
BREAKING🚨: West Ham United have agreed a deal with Burnley for the signing of Maxwel Cornet, West Ham have met £17.5m release clause 💰 pic.twitter.com/2djDut2RPu
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 4, 2022
What will he offer West Ham?
Cornet is predominantly a left winger but he can also play left back and centre forward. This could be useful for West Ham if they need someone to fill in up front for Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio.
His experience in Europe will also count in his favour as David Moyes’ side are in the Europa Conference League. He also has a season playing in England under his belt so will be used to the speed and physicality of the Premier League.
Despite Burnley’s relegation, Cornet was one of their shining lights, scoring the winner in a 3-2 win over Everton. Cornet also scored twice against Southampton. He played both on the left and as a striker for the Clarets.
West Ham has also just let Arthur Masuaku go out on loan to Besiktas, so he will be a good replacement on the left-hand side of the pitch.
West Ham has done well in the transfer window so far, signing Scamacca from Sassuolo, Flynn Downes from Swansea, Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain on a permanent deal, and Nayef Aguerd from Rennes.
The club will likely lose Cornet in January 2023 to the Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in his home country of the Ivory Coast.
After a season in a struggling Burnley side, Cornet can expect a more enjoyable season with West Ham, which will include European football and ambition to qualify for the more prestigious competitions in Europe.