There is a hint of a young Didier Drogba in reported West Ham and Newcastle United target M’Bala Nzola, Spezia coach Vincenzo Italiano told Tuttosport.
It has been a quiet month so far throughout the Premier League but, with a handful of clubs scouring the market for a new centre-forward, that could soon change.
Newcastle are enduring their worst run of results since Steve Bruce took over nearly two years ago, scoring just once from open play in their last six games.
Even Callum Wilson, who started life on Tyneside like a runaway train, has ground to a halt, dropping deeper and deeper in search of service that never seems to arrive from a middling midfield.
West Ham, meanwhile, sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax last week and, if Monday’s nervy 1-0 FA Cup win at non-league Stockport is anything to go by, first-choice striker Michail Antonio is well short of match fitness.
Calciomercato has mentioned Nzola, one of Europe’s breakthrough stars this season, as a target for both Newcastle and West Ham after a run of eight goals in his last nine goals.
Nzola has likened himself to Romelu Lukaku due to his fearsome blend of pace, power and lethal finishing (DAZN). But Spezia coach Italiano has another top-quality number nine in mind when discussing his 24-year-old talisman.
“(Nzola) is is a fast striker, good at attacking the box and making the team play well. I have known him since the days of Trapani (from 2018-2019) – I see Drogba in him as a young man,” Italiano explained.
Like Wilson and Antonio, Nzola is a real workhorse of a centre-forward, capable of leading the line on his own or as part of a striking pair.
There may be doubts about whether a man who had never played top-flight football until this season can continue such a stunning run however. Is this merely a flash in the pan or something more?
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