A report from Germany claims baffling West Ham flop Alex Kral is set for the new destination of Hertha Berlin after David Moyes decision.
West Ham boss Moyes brought the 24-year-old midfielder to West Ham on a season-long loan from Spartak Moscow last summer.
But Kral surely has to go down as one of the most baffling signings ever made by West Ham – albeit fortunately only on loan.
In what was a mammoth season for West Ham with an extremely shallow squad, Kral managed just 255 minutes of action across all competitions in the entire campaign.
And just ONE of those minutes was in the Premier League.
Incredibly, 21 West Ham players played more minutes than Kral last term (Transfermarkt).
Some West Ham fans were bemused by Kral’s lack of game time given Mark Noble’s obvious limitations and the below par form of his compatriot Tomas Soucek.
Kral impressed in a 1-0 Carabao Cup win away at Man United but rarely saw the light of day thereafter at West Ham.
West Ham did have an option to make the curly-haired Czech Republic international midfielder’s move permanent for around £17m this summer.
It was obvious Moyes was never going to take up that option and Kral had been linked with a move to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig (Sky Germany and Get German Football News).
But now a new report claims the baffling West Ham flop Kral is set for the new destination of Hertha Berlin after Moyes made the decision not to sign him.
Despite his dismal Hammers spell Hertha have shown interest in the West Ham loanee with RB Leipzig no longer in the running, according to Bild.
“The 24-year-old is known for breaking down play and his passing ability but found it hard to break into the first team…” Bild reports.
“This has opened the door for Hertha would are reported to be keen on bringing the 31-time international to the club.
“Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine with Russia, Russian clubs are under special transfer regulations. This means it remains unsure how Hertha would be able to bring in Král on a permanent deal. A loan move could be more likely if Hertha want their man.”
With Noble retired and Kral not being retained, Moyes simply must sign a new central midfielder this summer.
He has been linked with Chelsea academy graduate Conor Gallagher, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse, Aston Villa’s John McGinn and Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips.
Ward-Prowse appears to be emerging as Moyes’s preference. He would be a massive upgrade on Kral and Noble.
But whether West Ham have the ambition to get a deal done is another question entirely.