Reports emerging this morning claim West Ham United have finally completed the club record signing of Sebastien Haller.

It is a Haller-lujah moment for the Hammers and boss Manuel Pellegrini after a summer-long chase for a top quality forward.

According to Sky Sports, West Ham have agreed a £45million deal with Eintracht Frankfurt and the player has agreed terms on a five-year deal. Sky Sports claims the player has passed a medical and fans are now excitedly awaiting West Ham’s official announcement.

It is easy to see why Manuel Pellegrini is so keen to sign striker Sebastien Haller.

After missing out on Maxi Gomez, West Ham’s attentions turned to Frenchman Haller.

On Tuesday morning Haller’s club Eintracht Frankfurt took to Twitter to confirm they have agreed a fee with West Ham.

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West Ham lacking a striking influence

West Ham were desperate for a quality striker after losing their most influential striker in Marko Arnautovic.

Pellegrini has also allowed Andy Carroll – another player capable of making a big impact on the rare occasion he was fit – to leave the club.

And while Lucas Perez’s departure was inevitable he too had a decent scoring record for West Ham considering his lack of starts.

Haller will certainly do just that if these statistics are anything to go by.

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Haller statistics make for encouraging reading

The data, posted by WhoScored.com, shows just how influential the big Frenchman has been for Frankfurt.

From a total of 39 appearances Haller netted 20 goals for Frankfurt last season. He scored 14 times in Bundesliga, once in the German Cup and five times in the Europa League.
But his influence went beyond goals.
As the focal point starting in Frankfurt’s attack, the West Ham target helped his side win nearly half their games – 11 from 23 (47.8%).

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Haller could make Hammers a genuine force

He also helped them to draws in six (26.1%), with just six ending in defeat.
 
So with Haller starting Frankfurt avoided defeat in nearly 75% of their matches.
Without him it was a very different story.
Haller did not start in 11 of Frankfurt’s matches last term. And they only won four of them (36.4%), losing four and drawing three.
With the coveted forward in the team Frankfurt were almost a goal per game better off too averaging over two per match.
Without him they scored just 1.18 on average.
And his aerial prowess comes in handy in his own box too. With Haller to help defend set pieces, Frankfurt conceded just 1.22 goals per game compared to 1.88 per match without the striker.
They say there are lies, damned lies and statistics. But from a football point of view those make impressive reading indeed.
West Ham fans will just be hoping Haller can lead Pellegrini’s side with the same level of success.
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