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SUPER Eagles skipper Ahmed Musa looks set to join English Premier League side West Ham on a free transfer over the coming weeks as the club is desperate to sign another centre forward to provide competition for its strikers Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller.
Last month, Musa, 28, left Saudi Pro League side, Al Nassr and currently a free agent, he is now hoping to revive his club career in Europe. In 2018, Musa signed a four year deal with Al Nassr said to be worth in the region of £14.8m with the possibility of it rising to £25m with appearances.
It is believed the club offered the striker £40m for his services, paying him a salary that made him the highest earning African player in Saudi Arabia. Inexplicably, however, Musa terminated his contract with the club and although Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr keeps fielding him, there is consternation among the fans over the use of a clubless player when there are numerous better alternatives available.
West Ham could offer Musa a way out as manager David Moyes knows he has to strengthen his forward line and obtaining Musa, who already has Premier League experience for nothing represents an ideal scenario. Musa was signed by Leicester in the summer of 2016 for around £16m but struggled to establish himself in the Premier League with the Foxes.
He was subsequently swiftly shipped out on loan to CSKA Moscow before being sold permanently to Al-Nassr in the summer of 2018. Musa, who can play anywhere along the front-line, possesses blistering pace and is a decent finisher when presented with a goalscoring opportunity.
However, his Achilles Heel is that he loses the ball too frequently and is often the weak link in build-up play. Musa’s struggles with Leicester will serve as a huge red flag for West Ham, however and serve as a reminder that some players are just not suited to the intense and robust nature of Premier League football.
Musa recently featured in Nigeria’s two African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone where he struggled for form. With Nigeria failing to win either of the games, there have been strident calls for Coach Rohr to be sacked, which could spell the end of Musa’s international career.
