West Ham were keen to sign Piotr Zielinski from Napoli back in the summer, before eventually wrapping up a deal for Lucas Paqueta.
According to Corriere dello Sport in Italy, the Hammers offered £17m for the Poland international, although a move never materialised as Napoli demanded £34m.
Now, David Moyes is probably glad he decided against doubling his offer for Zielinski.
What’s the story?
Well, the 28-year-old struggled in Qatar as Poland crashed out at the Round of 16 stage following a 3-1 defeat to France.
Popular French news outlet L’Equipe – famed for their honest player ratings – have since published their worst World Cup XI, with Zielinski finding himself in midfield alongside fellow Pole Krystian Bielik after picking up a 3.5 match rating.
You can see a photo of the XI below – jokingly posted by a Wales fan following their difficult World Cup campaign, in which Gareth Bale and Wayne Hennessey also made the team.
Contrastingly, Paqueta – who was signed instead – enjoyed a decent World Cup, scoring one goal for Brazil before the South Americans were surprisingly knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-final.
West Ham should still consider Zielinski
In our view, if Napoli lower their £34m asking price, we feel West Ham should still consider a move.
Yes, the Polish midfielder struggled in Qatar, although he is enjoying an impressive campaign at club level.
Zielinski has scored six goals while also providing seven assists in 21 appearances so far this season.
Interestingly, three of those goals – and two of those assists – have come in just six Champions League appearances as Zielinski makes a name for himself in Europe’s greatest club competition.
The Napoli No.20 will only have 12 months remaining on his contract at the end of the campaign, and if he is yet to sign a new deal by that stage, West Ham should consider resubmitting their £17m bid.
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