Blackburn Rovers are reportedly in a battle with a fellow Championship side to sign West Ham United’s Maxwel Cornet this January.
The Ivorian winger is currently on loan at Southampton for the season but has only played four times for former Swansea City boss Russell Martin since arriving. With the arrival of Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United over the summer, he is also unlikely to make a return to the London club’s first team either, necessitating a new move in the upcoming window.
Rovers Battle Hornets According To Report
Blackburn Rovers and Watford are named in a report by Ivorian football outlet 225Foot.com as interested parties in a move for the former Burnley winger. However, the two sides differ in the deal they want to strike, with John Eustace’s team looking for a permanent move whilst The Hornets eye a simple loan deal.
According to 225Foot, West Ham are open to any move that sees Cornet leave the club in the upcoming window, with the player himself also open to departing.
Cornet has never played in the EFL before, joining The Clarets during their Premier League years before he was purchased by The Hammers for £17.5 million just a season after arriving at Turf Moor. Whilst he was a big part of their UEFA Conference League triumph in 2023, he never regularly got minutes in the Premier League and was then loaned out to St. Mary’s at the start of this season.
Writer’s View
Maxwel Cornet still has something to prove in English football after four years in the country. He did look like a promising talent at Burnley but has since gone unwanted by both West Ham and The Clarets, which could point to issues about his attitude. Nevertheless, whether Blackburn or Watford get him, he will add Premier League quality to a side pushing for play-off football in this season. With concerns about the future of Giorgi Chakvetadze at Vicarage Road after Wolves were reported to be interested in the Georgian, perhaps he will be their replacement for the 25-year-old with some formation tweaks.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
