West Ham are out of the race to sign Georges Mikautadze with the Metz striker likely to move to Roma or AS Monaco, according to Le 10 Sport.
The French news outlet reported on 8 July that as the Hammers are not playing in Europe next season, the Georgia striker does not fancy moving to the London Stadium.
This comes after the Irons submitted a £17million+ bid to sign the Euro 2024 striker, per Le 10 Sport on 28 June.
West Ham need to widen their transfer search
The Hammers’ pursuit of Mikautadze highlights a common issue in transfer strategies which is the tendency to overvalue a player based on a short-term performance spike, such as a strong showing in a major tournament like the EUROs.
While Mikautadze’s scoring prowess at the tournament is impressive, his overall career trajectory and performance history suggest a more nuanced evaluation is necessary.
The club’s interest in the 23-year-old seems to stem primarily from his recent goal-scoring form, which may not be representative of his long-term ability or suitability for the Premier League.
Moreover, his reluctance to join due to their lack of European football next season indicates a potential issue with player motivation and commitment and he’d probably want higher wages in order to join.
This clearly means that he does not really rate the project of Julen Lopetegui and fancies moving to clubs that can immediately offer continental riches.
Hopefully, the Hammers do not pursue his services any further and move on to other options.
