Sebastien Haller has not exactly matched expectations following his move to West Ham from Eintracht Frankfurt.
He scored plenty of goals for FC Utrecht in the Eredivisie – 51 in 98 games to be exact – before making the switch to Germany in 2018. It was last season, though, where he truly introduced himself to a wider audience, scoring 20 times and providing 12 assists in all competitions as the Eagles made it to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
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That convinced the Hammers to spend £45m on the 25-year-old – a club record fee – and, given his frame and ability to bring others in to play, it was hoped he would take to the Premier League like a duck to water. However, whilst he has not necessarily been terrible, he has still managed just seven goals in 28 matches so far – for the money paid, West Ham will have wanted a whole lot more.
It seems that they may already be looking to bring in another centre-forward, with Lazio’s Felipe Caicedo linked. According to Calciomercato, the Irons were keen on the Ecuador international, but their interest has been rejected by the current Serie A leaders as they do not want to sell.
The 31-year-old has had to make do with playing second fiddle behind Ciro Immobile for much of the campaign – most would struggle to displace the Italy international, who has scored 27 goals in the country’s top flight at a rate of one strike every 81 minutes – but that has not prevented him from making his mark. In just 11 starts, he has managed eight goals, supporting Immobile whenever needed.
He has proven himself to be proficient in front of goal. In Serie A, he has had just 25 shots, meaning that he has bagged one strike every 3.1 efforts. Haller, meanwhile, has seven goals in the Premier League from 51 attempts – one every 7.29 shots. The difference in their clinical ability is clear for all to see.
Whilst they may have been knocked back with this first effort, the London outfit should not give up just yet. Every player has his price, and it is up to West Ham to make an attractive offer that puts pressure on Lazio to sell. His ability to score from fewer chances would be worth its weight in gold.
Meanwhile, David Moyes’ problem position remains unsolved.
