West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca looking nice, Liverpool signed the wrong striker for more than twice the price in former Hammers target Darwin Nunez.
West Ham did not sign any players in the January window when the world and its wife were crying out for the club to sign a striker.
That’s not to say West Ham did not try.
It was well publicised late in the window that West Ham were trying hard to sign new Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez – then at Benfica (Sky Sports).
The move did not happen and when the window closed transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano said West Ham had shot themselves in the foot by alerting their rivals to Nunez’s talent and potential availability ahead of the summer window.
And that’s precisely what happened as Liverpool hijacked West Ham’s interest to sign Nunez this summer.
To rub salt in West Ham’s wound the Uruguayan looked like he would be an instant hit in the Premier League with his initial Liverpool performances.
Nunez scored on his Premier League debut for Liverpool after joining for a whopping £85m. But he has become a figure of ridicule having failed to find the net since that goal against Fulham in August.
He has been been labelled ‘Juande Carroll’ as comparisons are made between the former Liverpool and West Ham striker and Jurgen Klopp’s big money arrival.
After missing out on Nunez, David Moyes did end West Ham’s 18-month wait to sign a striker when he splashed £35m on Italy striker Gianluca Scamacca.
And as he works his way back to full fitness following a nasty virus, the classy 23-year-old is already earning rave reviews for his performances and goals.
Scamacca scored a beautiful half-volley from the edge of the box in West Ham’s 2-0 win over Wolves last weekend.
But it was the 6ft 5in star’s his all-round game, technical ability and hold-up play that impressed the most.
And he was the hero again in Europe on Thursday night with his fourth goal of this season’s Conference League campaign, a clever run, turn and finish to see of Anderlecht.
It was a goal described as ‘pure style’ by BT Sport. Those are not two words being used in the same sentence as Nunez at Liverpool right now.
West Ham’s Scamacca is looking nice, Liverpool signed the wrong striker for more than twice the price.
That’s the shout from Scamacca’s homeland.
Twitter account Italy Propaganda posted a video of Scamacca’s West Ham goals saying: “Gianluca Scamacca – Physical Freak with Technique.
“Liverpool signed the wrong striker for twice the price…”
There is no denying they make a very salient point.
Scamacca has a similar towering physical stature to Nunez.
But his technique – likened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – is far superior to that of the struggling Liverpool striker.
Liverpool may have thought they got one over on West Ham by signing their former target Nunez.
But it seems Moyes and the Hammers are having the last laugh with Scamacca.
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