Nayef Aguerd - signed (30m)

[Coffee]

"OS West Ham United complete Nayef Aguerd transfer West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Morocco international defender Nayef Aguerd. The 26-year-old joins the Hammers from French Ligue 1 club Rennes on a five-year contract and adds further quality and depth to David Moyes‚Äô squad. He will wear the No27 shirt. Aguerd has enjoyed two impressive seasons with Rennes, enhancing the reputation he established at FUS Rabat, Dijon and with the Moroccan national team. Now, the left-sided player will continue his career in the English Premier League, where his combination of talents will see him provide strong competition for Craig Dawson, Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma. ‚ÄúI was really excited when I heard about West Ham United's interest,‚Äù said Aguerd, an impressive individual who speaks fluent French, English, Arabic and Spanish. ‚ÄúWhen I heard about it, I knew I needed to go to the Premier League, because it‚Äôs a dream for every player. ‚ÄúWest Ham is a historic Club. I saw a few of their games this year, and I saw the fans and the atmosphere were fantastic, with the bubbles! ‚ÄúI talked with the manager and he showed me that he was very interested, so it was easy to choose to come to West Ham.‚Äù Aguerd was born in the city of K?©nitra in the north of Morocco into a footballing family. His father played in the Moroccan top-flight, while his uncle Abdelmajid Bouyboud was capped 34 times and appeared at the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals ‚Äì an achievement his nephew could emulate in Qatar later this year. As a boy, Aguerd represented local club KAC of K?©nitra before being scouted and recruited to the national Mohammed VI Football Academy in the capital city of Rabat, where he spent four years playing alongside the likes of Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri. In 2014, aged 18, he joined leading club Rabat FUS, making 12 appearances in his debut season and attracting the attention of a host of leading Spanish clubs. After bulking up and working hard on his game, Aguerd then inspired FUS to their first-ever Moroccan Championship in May 2016, scoring a vital goal against Ittihad Tanger that all but clinched the title. After scoring in the 2017 CAF Champions League and impressing regularly for FUS over the next two seasons, Aguerd joined French Ligue 1 club Dijon in 2018. Two encouraging seasons for Les Rouges led to a transfer to Rennes, where he started the club‚Äôs first-ever UEFA Champions League match at home to Russian side Krasnodar and featured in four of six group-stage fixtures in the autumn of 2020. Aguerd has thrived at Roazhon Park, making 66 Ligue 1 appearances and helping Rennes qualify for Europe in each of the last two seasons. He scored twice in seven UEFA Europa Conference League appearances and started 31 Ligue 1 games as Rennes finished fourth last term. At international level, the defender was capped at U20 and U23 level before making his senior debut against Albania in August 2016. Two years later, he helped Morocco win the African Nations Championship on home turf. He is now a regular in the Atlas Lions‚Äô starting XI with 25 senior caps and was an ever-present in Morocco‚Äôs successful 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign and run to the 2021 CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals. Everyone at West Ham United would like to welcome Nayef to London Stadium and wish him all the best for his career in Claret and Blue."

[Lee Trundle]

Maybe politics threads do serve a purpose on this site...

[Hammer and Pickle]

"*bore, not bare"

[Hammer and Pickle]

We all know the kind of football bare we're talking about here - they'll latch on to an error and insist it is part of a series that cancels out any positive contribution. The player is of course left drained of resources and the likelihood of him ever cutting out the errors in question is severely diminished. It's actually a form of abuse.

[goose]

"Hammer and Pickle 6:06 Mon Sep 25 Re: Nayef Aguerd - signed (30m) No understanding football is realizing that a 27 year old centre back shouldn't be making basic errors every week. His ""skills"" are fucking pointless if he cannot defend the most basic of situations."

[zico]

I think he is a good player but he has been caught out with a ball over his head several times in the last few games. Happens to all defenders but not sure if he misjudges the flight or makes the wrong decision in closing down and ends up in no man's land. The pool goal that was chipped in and volleyed home was a good goal but all to easy at this level.

[BRANDED]

I think its reasonable to think that if a defender doesn't have to actually do any defending then they won't make a defensive mistake.

[Hammer and Pickle]

"Is ""knowing your football"" going on ad nauseam about all the negative aspects of a skilful player's game while ignoring all their strengths? I don't think so - surely it just makes you a bitter football bore."

[Ron Eff]

"It was Ogbonna in the week, and that was 1) out of character, and 2) absolutely nothing to do with style of play, he just made an unusual clanger."

[Russ of the BML]

"Eerie Descent 12:34 Mon Sep 25 I don't ever recall stating that 'Aguerd' was world class. I will openly admit I have called him a Rolls Royce player and also said he should be captain after Rice leaves. That was based on his performances early on for us and his performances for Morocco in the WC where was immense. The injury done him. Was a bad one. I hope there's a little hangover from that. I stand by what i said and I do believe there is a top quality player in there. But I do agree with others., if he doesn't cut out the mistakes he needs taking out the team for a while. If you can find where I called him world class then I'll hold my hands up but I doubt it. Like you, I know my football, and I rarely use world class for a player unless they are top ten in the world. I am prepared to have a egg on my face though."

[Manuel]

"Moyes is probably thinking this is a problem he could have done without, but I don't see Aguerd being dropped just yet, more so because I doubt if Moyes thinks Dinos is 'ready' yet and Oggy looked shot last week. Forget Kehrer. It's all very well being a so called cultured CB, but find any cultured CB at a top club and you can bet your left bollock that they can also defend properly as well. Another problem with having a calamity CB is that it also makes the rest of the defense and the keeper nervous. Not good. He's probably got 2 or 3 games max to stop defending like a schoolboy or Moyes won't be left with any choice, and at that point Aguerd himself will probably want to be taken out of the firing line, he doesn't look the most confident type of individual at the best of times."

[Hammer and Pickle]

*critical opinion

[Hammer and Pickle]

"Actually, all you’ve proven is you’re the parody bitter dinosaur football bore and your critical of Moyes lacks any credit whatsoever. Fuck off and try to intimidate some teenagers - they’ll only laugh and tell you to do one anyway."

[goose]

BillyJenningsBoots 2:11 Mon Sep 25 Re: Nayef Aguerd - signed (30m) I think you'll find Zouma dropped a massive clanger on the week against a pretty poor team when we had most of the possession Eh?

[Eerie Descent]

"What joke is that, Fritzl? The one where I've been proved 100% right? The only joke is you being on a football thread. Way out of your depth."

[Eerie Descent]

"Jennings, I remember you once tried to call out someone on here for racism when they spelt Mubama's name wrong. I reckon you might want to watch that game back, and apologise to Zouma.."

[Eerie Descent]

"Jennings, I remember you once tried to call out someone on here for racism when they spelt Mubama's name wrong. I reckon you might want to watch that game back, and apologise to Zouma.."

[Hammer and Pickle]

"Ha ha ha ha ha - dry you eyes Edward, the joke's on you so foot the bill like a good fellow."

[BillyJenningsBoots]

I think you'll find Zouma dropped a massive clanger on the week against a pretty poor team when we had most of the possession... so not all our othe CBs are immune! But I agree Aguerd makes too many mistakes and has not really improved... I say get the Greek lad in.

[Eerie Descent]

"We? Why do you always try to rally a few troops on here, can't you fend for yourself, you stretched necked parasite?"

[Hammer and Pickle]

"“…but I'm just honest and I know my football.” Eeek, it’s the Duke of Hackney Marshes - will he make us touch the hem of his jockstrap if we dare to disagree about a player being crap?"

[Eerie Descent]

"The excuse making for some players is staggering at times on here. Dawson was fucking mauled on here when we signed him, and continued to be as he'd make a passing error every now and again. This fella is making glaring errors every fucking game, but gets a pass because he makes some Hollywood passes. Russ, you were calling him wold class previously, THAT is exaggerating. I called this chancer out early on, after giving him enough time, and I've been proved 100% correct. Believe me, I take no joy as I want all our players to be good, but I'm just honest and I know my football."

[goose]

"If you never let the opposition have the ball then you never have to defend. But thats not gonna happen. Pep has bombed out centre halfs who do not concentrate and make mistakes. Zouma, Dawson and a few others have coped perfectly well under Moyes and do not make huge errors every game. Luton we had 70% of the ball and Aguerd still managed to drop a clanger."

[Willtell]

Spot on right Ron. He's a very good player but sometimes a CB needs to be ruthless. I think ED is right that he does make approximately 3 errors a game but usually gets away with a couple of them. Aguerd and Kehrer are similar attempts by Moyes to get ball playing CB's in the squad. We've bought the ones that have over confidence and are error prone. That's because those CB's that don't make errors are out of our price range. I think we will see Mavropanos against Lincoln but he's going to have to be bomb proof for Moyes to drop Aguerd I fear....

[Pentonville]

You absolutely can blame the style. If your playing a style that calls the opposition on then as a defender you are required to concentrate for so much longer than any other player in the Premier league. Ayuerd under Klopp or Howe or That spurs manager or Pep is a different player.

[Ron Eff]

"Sorry, I don’t like Moyes style of play, and I like Aguerd, but you cannot blame style of play for constant errors. No other defender is making the same mistakes. As I said, if it was an isolated incident, I’d almost have sympathy for yesterday, but its one a game at the moment. He has a lot of good qualities but he needs taking out of the team right now. We have the luxury of a £20m centre half signing to come in."