West Ham must look to sign Stoke midfielder Badou Ndiaye after Potters go down

Football FanCast

By James Beavis

Published May 8, 2018

Stoke City midfielder Badou Ndiaye could be one of the players on his way out of the Britannia Stadium after the Potters were relegated from the Premier League, and West Ham United must sign the 27-year-old as a Cheikhou Kouyate replacement.

According to reports in the Daily Mail, Stoke City are set for a mass exodus of their first-team squad following their relegation to the Championship, and West Ham United should make a move to sign midfield enforcer Badou Ndiaye to replace his international teammate Cheikhou Kouyate.

What's the word, then?

Badou Ndiaye in action against Crystal Palace

Well, the Potters dropped out of the Premier League following their 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, and the Daily Mail says that a number of their stars are expected to leave this summer.

Ndiaye only joined the club from Galatasaray during the January transfer window, but he has been one of their more impressive performers in recent months, and the Daily Mail reports he is likely to attract interest from other clubs.

Meanwhile, West Ham are likely to be busy in the transfer market themselves after they preserved their top flight status by beating Leicester City 2-0 at the weekend, and one of their priorities could be to find an upgrade on Kouyate, who has endured a difficult campaign.

How has Ndiaye done with Stoke?

The strong midfielder has certainly made a positive impression.

The Senegal international has won 47 of the 69 tackles he has attempted in 12 Premier League outings, as per WhoScored.com, while he has shown his ability at bringing the ball forward by successfully completing 17 of the 21 dribbles he has attempted.

With one goal and one assist during that period, he has also shown he is able to make an impact in the final third, when required to.

Why should West Ham sign him?

While captain Mark Noble and Kouyate stepped up to the plate against a poor Leicester side on Saturday, the duo haven't been anywhere near good enough in general this season and, arguably, both need replacing this summer if the east London outfit are to kick on.

Ndiaye certainly has shown during his time with Stoke that he could well be an upgrade on Kouyate in the middle of the park for the Irons, and his combative style and ability on the ball should mean that he is quickly liked by the London Stadium faithful.

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