Ex-West Ham and Crystal Palace man with 291 Premier League appearances still a free agent as medical 'failed'

Former West Ham and Crystal Palace midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has apparently ‘failed’ his medical ahead of his proposed move to Leeds United, according to Football Insider. The report claims the Whites have ‘pulled the plug’ on the deal after the player "did not get the all-clear from the club’s staff".

The Senegal international, who has 92 caps under his belt for his country, is a free agent at the moment. He cut ties with Nottingham Forest at the end of last season after they decided against handing him an extension and he has been weighing up his options since the end of June. Leeds could have seen Kouyate, who is 34-years-old, as someone to add more competition and depth to their options in the middle of the park. However, they will now have to look elsewhere for reinforcements in his position or wait until January.

Their boss Daniel Farke has recently outlined his plans to look into the free agent market and said: "If I'm really honest, I'm not a big friend of signing players who are out of contract in the beginning of October, because it means more or less they are out of team training since May.

“That means they are out of team training since whatever, five months. And even if you bring them in, it lasts also a while until they are really ready to go and fully fit and really could play first team football and then quite often the player who is right now injured for the next few weeks, he's even even back in perhaps and ready to go earlier than the players who are out for since five months.

"I think quite often it's a bit like a panic buy or like to pretend to do something anyhow. I think it's professional to check it, and sometimes out of coincidence or out of a special situation, there could be someone out who really suits the needs in this moment."

West Ham and Crystal Palace days

Kouyate moved over to England in 2014 after catching West Ham’s eye playing in Belgium for Anderlecht. He went on to become a key player for the Hammers and made 147 appearances in all competitions, chipping in with 15 goals. He then switched to Crystal Palace after four years and went on to become a key player for the Eagles. He played 141 games for the South London outfit altogether and found the net on three occasions.

Nottingham Forest snapped him up following their promotion from the Championship under their former manager Steve Cooper back in 2022. He spent two years at The City Ground and injected experience into their ranks.

He helped the Reds stay up twice but saw his deal expire a few months ago. Leeds could have handed him a route back into the game but he has reportedly failed his medical meaning he will have to continue his search for a new home.

The Whites were beaten in the play-off final last term at Wembley by Southampton. Adam Armstrong scored the only goal of the game.