Watford and Blackburn Rovers set to miss out on West Ham transfer | OneFootball

Maxwel Cornet has been linked with a move to Blackburn and Watford this January

Watford and Blackburn Rovers are set to miss out on the signing of West Ham forward Maxwel Cornet this January.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the 28-year-old is closing in on a move to Italian side Genoa.

Cornet has spent the first half of the campaign on loan with Southampton, where he has struggled for game time.

He made just two appearances for the Saints, after only playing 21 times for West Ham across two seasons at the club.

Maxwel Cornet transfer latest

It was previously reported by 225 Foot that both Blackburn and Watford held an interest in signing Cornet this January.

The Ivorian has fallen out of favour with the London club, and his lack of game time at St. Mary’s raised questions over his immediate future.

However, the two Championship clubs are now set to miss out on his arrival following a verbal agreement between the Hammers and Genoa.

It is believed that it will be another loan move, where he will play under Patrick Vieira for the rest of the campaign.

This will come as a blow to Blackburn and Watford, who are both looking to strengthen in the winter market amid their push for a play-off place this term.

The two clubs have until 3 February to find any potential alternative deals to complete instead.

Maxwel Cornet’s difficult few seasons

Cornet has struggled for game time since leaving Blackburn’s rivals Burnley at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, following the team’s relegation from the Premier League.

The winger made the switch to West Ham, where he went on to make just 14 league appearances in his first year, including only two starts.

Cornet played seven more times in the top flight in the following year, before making the temporary switch to Southampton last summer.

He will now be looking to finalise his move to Genoa, who are 11th in the Serie A table.

Cornet’s lack of game time could mean bullet dodged

Cornet simply hasn’t played enough in recent years to know how good he could’ve been for Blackburn or Watford, especially given his injury record as well.

While he was impressive when he first arrived in English football, performing well for Burnley, he just hasn’t been able to recapture that since.

While it only would’ve been a loan move, perhaps it is best for Rovers and the Hornets that they’ve missed out on this.