ExWHUemployee has dropped an update on reported West Ham United transfer target Filip Kostic.

What's the talk?

Speaking on a recent episode of The West Ham Way podcast, the club insider revealed that, should Rob Newman fail in his attempt to bring TSG Hoffenheim's David Raum to the London Stadium this summer, the West Ham head of recruitment will turn his attention towards the 29-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt left wing-back - for whom the Bundesliga side are believed to be demanding a figure in the region of €22m (£19m) to part with this summer.

Regarding the Hammers' interest in the Serbia international, Ex said: "[David] Moyes' criteria for a left-back is that they can play left-back and left wing-back, and on the left of midfield if needed so that it gives us options.

"He also wants them to be good at set-plays and set-pieces, because if they're going to replace Aaron Cresswell - who's coming towards the end of his time at West Ham - they're going to need someone to take set-pieces. [Raum] is the first choice, but there are numerous clubs - Newcastle [United] and ones in Germany - all looking at him.

"If we can't get him over the line or if we can get a better deal, we'll look at Filip Kostic. He's a Serbian who played for our [Europa League] semi-final opponents Frankfurt and played very well. He's more attacking than a traditional left-back, more of a left-wing back or a left midfielder, but he can play left-back. He's also an option."

A major coup

Considering just how impressive Kostic was for Eintracht last season, in addition to the fact that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli have all been linked with a move for the wing-back this summer, should Newman be able to get a deal for the 29-year-old over the line ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, it would undoubtedly represent a major coup for West Ham.

Indeed, over his 31 Bundesliga appearances in 2021/22, the £21.6m-rated talent was in astonishing form for Oliver Glasner's side, scoring four goals, registering nine assists and creating 16 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots, making 2.8 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the £43k-per-week full-back average a breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.25, not only ranking him as Die Adler's best performer in the league but also as the 15th-best player in the German top flight as a whole.

The 48-cap international also caught the eye over his 12 Europa League outings last season - rather unfortunately for the West Ham faithful - bagging three goals, registering six assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.7 shots, making 2.1 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per fixture.

These returns saw the former VfB Stuttgart star average a sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.33 - playing a starring role in Frankfurt going on to lift the Europa League trophy, as well as seeing him named as the competition's Player of the Season.

As such, with Moyes looking for an attack-minded wing-back to take up 32-year-old Cresswell's mantle on the left of his West Ham defence, it is clear to see that Kostic would make a fantastic addition to Scot's first-team squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign - leading us to believe that Newman should do everything in his power to get a deal over the line for the 29-year-old this summer.

AND in other news: Newman in WHU talks for "outstanding" £33m signing who top clubs "should be all over"