West Ham can sign huge Soucek upgrade with Piotr Zielinski

3 minute read 29/12/2022 | 12:35pm

The January transfer window cannot come quick enough for West Ham United manager David Moyes, who will be desperate to clinch a signing or two to lift his club away from the Premier League relegation zone following an awful start to the campaign.

What’s the word?

With the Hammers languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table, despite a lucrative summer spree that left the club with an expenditure of roughly £161m, something needs to change, and midfield maestro Piotr Zielinski could hold the key.

Currently playing for Italian Serie A table-toppers Napoli, the Polish ace is reportedly failing to clinch a new deal with his club, who are resigned to cashing in on the player at the end of the season, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb also stated in the summer that Moyes was eyeing the 28-year-old, and with a lasting interest in the player, the pieces might fall into place over the coming months. 

Most Read on FootballFanCast.com Huge Soucek upgrade 

The 89-cap Poland international has been in fine form this season for a Napoli side that are running away from the pack in the chase for divisional triumph, scoring six goals and seven assists across 21 outings from his creative role in the midfield. 

His 46 goals and 40 assists from the entirety of his career with the Blues, making 302 appearances, bodes well for a prospective transfer into the Irons team, with his flair and knack for providing a direct threat two factors that can bolster an outfit in desperate need of reinvigoration. 

As per FBref, Zielinski ranks within the top 4% of midfielders for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 8% for assists and the top 4% for shot-creating actions. 

Will West Ham sign Zielinski?

With West Ham’s 13 goals clinched this term the fourth-lowest in the division, an efficient forward-thinking presence behind the frontline could go a long way towards turning the ship around, and steering towards prosperous waters once again. 

Should the “dynamic” phenom – as once hailed by former manager Carlo Ancelotti – don claret colours in the near future, he would likely be an excellent upgrade on Tomas Soucek.

Soucek signed for the east London outfit on a loan deal in January 2020, before a permanent deal was struck in the summer. 

The Czech pivot has since gone on to make 126 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 21 goals – however, this season the 27-year-old has plundered just two goals and assists apiece from 21 displays, falling below expectations with his performances. 

As per Sofascore, the 56-cap star’s 1.1 shots per league match and two big chances created have not really ignited sustained creativity from the middle of the pitch, while his passing accuracy of 76% falls below the slick level of assurance the club needs to return to prominence. 

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The £107k-per-week Zielinski, in retrospect, is averaging 1.7 shots per outing in Italy, and has forged nine big chances for his teammates; his 84% pass success rate and 2.3 key passes per performance clearly indicate the offensive prowess that towers over that of his positional peer.

Lauded as a “baller” by journalist Patrick Boyland, Zielinski would be a worthy addition to the London Stadium, and he could be the tool to fix the issues that currently plague West Ham.