West Ham have been tipped to express an interest in Watford attacker Emmanuel Dennis should the Hornets suffer relegation this season, according to former Premier League midfielder, Carlton Palmer, via GiveMeSport.
Watford look destined for a second consecutive relegation from the Premier League this season, and as their fate grows nearer, so does the interest for some of the talented individuals amongst their squad. The most obvious high-profile departure this summer will most likely be Ismaila Sarr, who has been continuously linked with the likes of Liverpool for several years now. However, it is the Hornets’ Nigerian forward, Emmanuel Dennis who has become the subject of recent rumours, amid growing interest from West Ham.
Despite another dreary top-flight spell for the Golden Boys, Emmanuel Dennis has offered somewhat of a silver lining. The Nigerian international was bought from Club Brugges for a steal last summer, at just £3.6million, and has been worth every penny, scoring 10 and assisting six for Watford in 31 league appearances this season, accounting for over 50% of Watford’s goals through his contributions alone.
Dennis’ performances have not gone unnoticed, or without inflation, with Watford now valuing their talisman at a figure between £20-30million. While the Nigerian may not recoup such a hefty sum if Watford are to be relegated, any significant fee received will likely bring handsome profits regardless, due to Watford’s low spending on the player.
Dennis has the potential to be a drastic improvement on West Ham’s current go-to man, Michael Antonio, who has struggled to bear all of the goalscoring burden in recent weeks, as he did early on in the season. Dennis also has the versatility to operate on either flank as well, so could certainly be used as a complementary forward to Antonio too, as opposed to a like-for-like replacement.