West Ham United were consistently linked with Napoli contract rebel Arkadiusz Milik in the summer and could get him for just £13-15million in January.
Update on reported West Ham target shows Moyes was dreaming
West Ham were said to be seriously interested in Poland international Milik in the summer after Napoli opted to put the £35 million-rated striker on the transfer market, as reported by Tuttomercatoweb.
Milik’s contract is up in the summer. And his refusal to sign a new deal with Napoli left manager Gennaro Gattuso dejected.
“It’s difficult to find someone better than Milik,” a clearly dejected Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso told Sky.
West Ham were heavily linked with contract rebel Milik
“However, when a player believes his time at a club is over and he wants a change of scenery, you have to listen to him.
“You can’t try to keep someone against their will, or it’s difficult to get them to listen or have the right mentality. You have to respect the wishes of the player.”
Now the wish on behalf of the club and player is to find a buyer for Milik in January so Napoli avoid losing him for nothing just a few months later.
That’s according to a new report from Football Italia.
New report claims Napoli will sell Milik for similar price to King in January or risk losing him for nothing
West Ham desperately need another striker.
The Hammers have made their best start to a season for five years.
But Michail Antonio suffers persistent injury problems while Sebastien Haller blows hot and cold.
David Moyes tried but failed to sign Josh King in the summer and will reportedly try again next month (Claret & Hugh).
Many West Ham fans have questioned the wisdom of signing King given his unremarkable goal record.
It seems West Ham will have to part with between £10-15million for the Norwegian over instalments if they want to sign him before he becomes a free agent.
And that – according to Football Italia – is roughly the same price Napoli want for Milik.
Two years younger than King, Milik has scored 34 goals for Napoli from 82 games over the last couple of seasons.
He was a success at Ajax before moving to Italy too. The reported West Ham summer target scored 47 goals in 75 games over two seasons in Amsterdam.
It is clear Milik has a better pedigree than King.
But West Ham would undoubtedly face increased competition for his signature given his bargain fee. Clubs like Juventus and even Tottenham have been linked.
Hammers should make Milik a priority and have guaranteed game time as their ace card
West Ham would hold the ace card in terms of game time, though. Milik would not get in either of those sides. But he would walk into the West Ham team and be a star.
King is also somewhat proven in the Premier League which will count for a lot when it comes to Moyes’s thinking.
As an investment, though, Milik would make infinitely more sense.
Not only would he add some star quality to West Ham’s forward line, but he is quick and known for being an extremely hard working forward.
West Ham should switch their attentions back to Milik in January and only pursue King as an alternative option.
King may do a job for Moyes and the Hammers.
But Milik could take West Ham’s game on to a new level as the east Londoners try to convert their good start into European qualification.
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