West Ham are locked in talks with Eintracht Frankfurt over the signing of wing-back Filip Kostic.
The Irons have been active in the transfer window so far, bringing in Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola and Flynn Downes. They are close to signing striker Gianluca Scamacca having agreed to a £30.5m fee with Sassuolo for the star striker, but David Moyes remains keen for more additions to beef up his relatively small squad. Moyes wants to sign a left-sided midfielder and has set his sights on Filip Kostic, who shares the same agent as Scamacca.
Kostic, 29, was hugely influential throughout Eintracht Frankfurt’s successful Europa League campaign, which concluded with a victory over Scottish giants Rangers after a penalty shootout. The Serbian international, who was named the player of the season in the Europa League, has just one year left on his contract and Frankfurt would loathe losing him on a free transfer next year. They demand €20m for their star wing-back.
West Ham have already launched an official bid to Frankfurt and are currently busy negotiating personal terms with Kostic. The talks are about to enter the final stages as Moyes looks to prepare his squad for the start of the new campaign.
Aaron Cresswell needs competition and support
Aaron Cresswell has been a great servant for West Ham since arriving from Ipswich Town in 2014, racking up over 290 appearances. He has oscillated between left-back and left centre-back under Moyes in recent years, demonstrating his versatility to great effect.
However, the three-cap England international is well into his 30s and could do with some strong competition from next season onward. Arthur Masuaku has failed to convince Moyes when given opportunities, forcing the West Ham boss to heavily rely on Cresswell for producing consistent performances on the left-hand side of the defence.
With Cresswell past his prime and set to turn 33 in December, it is imperative the Hammers scour the market for potential upgrades.
David Moyes wants to sign Filip Kostic
Since arriving at Frankfurt from Hamburger SV in 2018, Filip Kostic has impressed in various roles down the left flank. In four seasons, he has registered 33 goals and 63 assists in 169 games for Frankfurt, which gives a good account of his creativity and goal-scoring ability. The Serbian was superb last season with seven goals and 15 assists, notably guiding his club past West Ham in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Comfortable playing as a left-winger or left-sided midfielder, Kostic will be a solid addition to West Ham’s ranks. The 29-year-old has the flexibility to operate in different positions across the midfield and attack. Still, it may need to alter his game a bit if Moyes decides to use him fundamentally at left-back. Due to his crossing ability, a burst of pace and vision to carve open defences, the ex-Stuttgart man could be viewed as a potent weapon in the final third.
All in all, the signing of an experienced player like Kostic would help boost the Hammers’ chances of qualifying for Europe next season.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.