What really went wrong for Nikola Vlasic under David Moyes at West Ham United. Or Premier League rivals Everton, for that matter?
During two separate stints in England’s top flight, the Croatia international barely even scratched the surface of his potential.
Clearly, talent is not an issue. Borussia Dortmund reportedly want the Torino talisman this summer, as do Serie A giants Roma.
Why did it go so WRONG for Nikola Vlasic at West Ham? 🇭🇷
He's been excellent in Italy…
So, what were the reasons for Nikola Vlasic’s ill-fated spell at West Ham United? That was the question Hammers News put to our TalkingPoint readers in the aftermath of those Dortmund links.
West Ham United fans explain Nikola Vlasic struggles
Did Vlasic struggle because of the pace of the Premier League? Was it because David Moyes seldom played him in his favoured position? Or was he simply not given enough game time to really make his mark?
Or, more likely, a mix of all three factors?
“Moyes,” one fan wrote on our Facebook page when asked to explain Vlasic’s struggles between that £25 million move from CSKA Moscow in 2021 and his £8 million departure to Torino soon after.
It is true that, while Nikola Vlasic goes down was one of the worst investments in West Ham’s recent history, Moyes does have a case to answer. Due to the presence of Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini, then Jesse Lingard, Vlasic often played deeper or wider than he was used to on the occasions when he did get a chance.
“Moyes ruined him, playing him out of position,” another agrees.
“He was barely given a chance from what I recall,” one writes, 13 of Vlasic’s 19 top-flight appearances at West Ham coming from the bench.
“Not given a fair chance and, when he was, it was out of position
“Didn’t suit [the role given to him].”
Vlasic on Borussia Dortmund list after fine Serie A season
Tell us West Ham’s signing of the season… 💰
Is it Diouf, Fernandes, Disasi, Hermansen or someone else? 🤔
Damningly, Vlasic summed up his poor spell at Everton by telling The Athletic that, at Goodison Park, he ‘didn’t get a chance’ in his favoured number ten position. West Ham would spend £25 million on a man who won the Russian Premier League Player of the Year as CSKA’s number ten, and then made exactly the same mistake Everton did.
“It’s simple. He does OK in weaker, slower leagues. I liked him but [he was] not good enough in the Premier League for whatever reason. Always looked sluggish at West Ham compared to others. I am glad he’s done better by moving to Italy – like many players who move from England to play in Italy it seems.”
To quote Toni Martic, the 28-year-old’s agent commenting on those exit rumours, Vlasic’s ‘excellent season certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed’. By scoring in a 3-2 defeat by AC Milan last time out, he took his tally to eight goals and five assists for mid-table Torino.
It is also worth reminding people, as we are on the subject, that Florian Wirtz, Jadon Sancho, Shinji Kagawa and more looked like world-beating attacking midfielders in the Bundesliga. Something to remember if Vlasic blossoms at Borussia Dortmund…
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