West Ham United will surely be disappointed that they weren't able to sign Martin Terrier from Stade Rennais during the summer, as the Frenchman is enjoying another superb season in Ligue 1.
David Moyes' side were heavily linked with the winger during the summer transfer window but Rennes' asking price of £34m proved to be too much for the Hammers, especially after they paid a similar fee to bring in Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo.
Last season saw Terrier bag 21 goals and three assists in 37 Ligue 1 games for Les Rouge et Noir, averaging a superb 7.41 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
He has started the 2022/23 campaign in a similar vein of form, hitting eight goals and contributing three assists in just 13 French top-flight appearances, earning a phenomenal 7.78 rating from WhoScored so far this season.
For comparison, Declan Rice is rated as the top performer in West Ham's side so far this season, with a 7.06 average rating from WhoScored, which emphasises just how impressive Terrier has been.
The 25-year-old only trails Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Jonathan David in the race for the golden boot in France, and has scored one more than the legendary Lionel Messi in Ligue 1 this season, which is no mean feat given the way he has started the season for PSG.
It is no surprise therefore that interest is increasing in Terrier again ahead of the winter transfer window, with Stade Rennais set to demand around £40m for his services, although the Hammers are not named as an interested party.
European football writer Tim Williams was full of praise for Terrier on the Sky Sports transfer talk podcast. He said:
“He’s a very quick, left-sided right-footed attacking player whose trademark is coming in off the left flank and whipping shots in, a-la Thierry Henry.
“Looking at his age and the phenomenal season he had last season, he will probably think that if he is ever going to make a big move to the Premier League, it’s probably going to be now or never."
Considering Terrier is starring in the Europa League with the Ligue 1 side as well, with three goals and one assist in just six appearances, a move to West Ham in January is perhaps not on the cards, and the Hammers will surely regret not meeting Rennes' asking price for the impressive winger in the summer.