Five French speaking stars to follow Payet to West Ham

Last Friday, West Ham managed to pull off the impressive signing of French winger Dimitri Payet from Marseille.

He is the latest member of the ever-growing French speaking contingent at West Ham.

Other Francophone players include Diafra Sakho, Cheikhou Kouyate, Morgan Amalfitano and Modibo Maiga. And now various reports – including French magazine L’Equipe – are predicting that more French speaking players will join the influx coming in to Upton Park.

We look at six such players that could be joining us in this window…

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Loic Remy

Loic Remy has been on our radar for years now but interest in him has reached new heights this summer.

With Chelsea expected to sign Radamel Falcao to accompany Diego Costa, the French international striker might look for a move from Stamford Bridge to get more first-team football.

The former QPR and Newcastle frontman is a proven Premier League goalscorer and can also play on the wing.

Remy would certainly provide some flair and excitement in our front line but the asking price has proven to be a stumbling block thus far.

Rumours suggest that Chelsea want between £8m and £12m for the 28-year-old but a swap deal with Enner Valencia has also been mentioned as an (albeit unlikely) option.

Yohan Cabaye

Want away PSG midfielder Yohan Cabaye has been generating interest from a number of Premier League clubs after revealing that he favours a move back to England.

West Ham are joined by Southampton, Crystal Palace and his former club Newcastle in tracking the 29-year-old.

Cabaye is an attacking central midfielder with plenty of skill and he is also very dangerous from set-pieces.

The French international’s future should be decided soon, but he would be a welcome addition to our predominantly defensive-minded midfield.

Alex Song

Having spent the entirety of last season on loan from Barcelona, West Ham seem to be in pole position to secure the permanent services of Alex Song.

The former Cameroon international was a sensational revelation in the first half of last season but his form dipped in correlation with the form of the whole team.

According to social media, Alex Song has been flitting between London and Barcelona for the past few days and some rumours claim that he will terminate his contract with the Spanish giants to join us for a free transfer.

This would be a remarkable piece of business and if the 27-year-old can recapture his early season form, we could have one hell of a player on our hands.

Aymen Abdennour

Monaco’s powerful centre back has recently been linked with a move to West Ham, with various reports indicating that we are willing to match his €20m fee (just over £12m).

The Tunisian international is renowned for his physical ability which has won him such admirers as Manchester United, Newcastle and us.

Abdennour would be a fantastic signing if we can afford him but I believe that other areas need strengthening before we look to spend so much on a centre back.

Paul-Georges Ntep

Paul-Georges Ntep caused a stir in Ligue 1 this season with a string of impressive displays which earned him a call-up to the French national team.

Able to operate on the wing or up front, Ntep managed nine goals and six assists last season for mid-table club Rennes.

The 22-year-old is blisteringly quick but also possesses plenty of skill, too, which is a nightmare for opposition defences.

Ntep could be a positive signing looking towards the long-term future of the club.