West Ham United tend to do pretty well with maverick playmakers. And Evander, FC Cincinnati’s irrepressible goal-making machine, certainly possesses the raw numbers to suggest he could follow in the footsteps of past claret-and-blue creatives.
Whether this one is worth looking at in detail, though, really depends on how much you trust the source.
West Ham United were mentioned as suitors for Evander via the Italian press a couple of weeks ago.
Area Napoli, to be specific. The Neopolitan-based publication reports that Evander is a target for the 2023 and 2025 Serie A champions, though the Hammers were also alleged to be ‘moving beyond mere inquiries’.
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Few would give a Championship club much of a chance up against a Champions League one.
But still, the financial disparities between England and Italy – plus the fact that West Ham are set to bank a staggering sum for Crysencio Summerville weeks after Mateus Fernandes’ £85 million exit – means the recently-relegated Londoners may actually be in a stronger position to meet FC Cincinnati’s £17 million asking price.
West Ham United may have advantage over Napoli in Evander race
There are two pretty sizeable reasons why West Ham may have an advantage over Napoli if they do decide to step up their pursuit of Evander.
And this is not something we thought we’d be writing at the end of May…
Per Football Italia, Napoli must sell before they can buy after falling foul of Serie A’s financial regulations. Furthermore, after sporting director Giovanni Manna confirmed that Kevin de Bruyne would be staying at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, signing another number ten no longer feels so pressing.
“We’re called upon to return to a financial equilibrium that we slightly exceeded last year because we invested heavily,” Manna said at a press conference on Thursday.
“We have to make choices, we are making them, and it’s not easy because the transfer market in Italy is stagnant, except for Fiorentina, who have made good investments.
“There’s an international balance dictated by UEFA. Right now, we have a higher parameter, and we need to get back on track and prove we’re achieving it.”
De Bruyne endured a disappointing debut season in Napoli; undermined by injuries some very pointed, very public criticism directed at the tactics of Antonio Conte. If the Man City legend felt Conte was too defensive, just wait until he finds out what new coach Massimiliano Allegri has in store….
As for Evander – while MLS exports have a mixed record in Europe – his numbers speak for themselves. 20 goal contributions in 18 games this season, ten goals and ten assists apiece.
Evander has racked up staggering numbers in the MLS with FC Cincinnati
New recruitment chief Nils Koppen prides himself upon a ‘creative’ approach to recruitment. Evander isn’t quite the proverbial ‘hidden gem’ – twice named in the MLS All-Star XI – but bringing him across the Atlantic would be a fitting move for a director renowned for thinking outside the box and looking beyond traditional markets.
In his last nine MLS appearances, Evander has a staggering 17 goal contributions.
‘Outstanding’ was the verdict of stats specialists SofaScore, handing the former Midtjylland and Portland Timbers schemer an almost impeccable 9/10 rating after he masterminded Thursday’s 4-3 win over Vancouver.
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His goal was emphatically taken; driving forward from the left-hand channel before rattling a shot into the corner from outside the box. In the second half, he had the presence of mind to clip a beautifully-flighted ball into the path of a teammate.
As performances go, it wasn’t quite as spectacular as the one he produced against Orlando City on the other side of the World Cup; two goals and a hat-trick of assists in a 6-2 shellacking. But if there were any fears in Ohio that Evander would take a while to click back into gear after a two-month break, he didn’t take long to dispel them.
“I think Evander’s overall approach and application has been the best I’ve seen,” FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said of a man who, with all due respect, looks like a man in a kid’s game at the moment.
“Evander’s elevated his game and just his overall leadership for the group. So, really pleased.”
For all the talk about the death of classic number tens, West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is someone who clearly still sees a role for a supposedly dying breed. Nuno prefers to have someone playing off the centre-forward, although the leaden-footed Pablo continues to look like a very awkward fit.
Put Evander behind Taty Castellanos and next to Jarrod Bowen, though, and you might just have one of the best frontlines ever seen in England’s second tier.
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