Cheikhou Kouyate already has three goals this year, and we analyse his growing threat here
Since Cheikhou Kouyate has been at West Ham United, a new side to his game has developed.
In just 37 league games for the Club he has scored as many goals as he managed in the previous 189.
While part of that can be attributed to the time he had at Anderlecht stationed in central defence, there can be no doubt that he has become more prolific as he career has developed – and that can even be said of his short time in E13.
None of his first 14 games in the Barclays Premier League yielded a goal, but since notching in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal last Christmas, he has scored seven goals in 23 games.
Scoring at a rate of one goal every three games would possibly sound alien to a player whose previous goalscoring ratio was one every 29, but particularly this season, Kouyate has shown a real appetite for poaching in front of goal.
His header in the 2-0 win at Arsenal on the opening day showed an opportunism in his beating to the ball of Petr Cech as Dimitri Payet delivered a free-kick.
Then in scoring against AFC Bournemouth and Norwich City, he was Johnny-on-the-spot to find himself in the right place to smash home after his teammates had been denied.
Goals from midfield was an area manager Slaven Bilic identified as being needed to improve on his arrival, and he will certainly be hopeful that Kouyate’s growing aptitude in the opposition’s penalty area will continue to be a fruitful source for the Hammers.
In just 37 league games for the Club he has scored as many goals as he managed in the previous 189.
While part of that can be attributed to the time he had at Anderlecht stationed in central defence, there can be no doubt that he has become more prolific as he career has developed – and that can even be said of his short time in E13.
None of his first 14 games in the Barclays Premier League yielded a goal, but since notching in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal last Christmas, he has scored seven goals in 23 games.
Scoring at a rate of one goal every three games would possibly sound alien to a player whose previous goalscoring ratio was one every 29, but particularly this season, Kouyate has shown a real appetite for poaching in front of goal.
His header in the 2-0 win at Arsenal on the opening day showed an opportunism in his beating to the ball of Petr Cech as Dimitri Payet delivered a free-kick.
Then in scoring against AFC Bournemouth and Norwich City, he was Johnny-on-the-spot to find himself in the right place to smash home after his teammates had been denied.
Goals from midfield was an area manager Slaven Bilic identified as being needed to improve on his arrival, and he will certainly be hopeful that Kouyate’s growing aptitude in the opposition’s penalty area will continue to be a fruitful source for the Hammers.