Nikola Vlasic should leave West Ham United after a frustrating debut season in the Premier League, former CSKA Moscow coach Ivica Olic tells Soccer RU amid reports of a move to Serie A.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
With a point to prove after a forgettable stint at Everton, Vlasic returned to English soil a far more mature, complete footballer when West Ham invested £25 million in securing his signature less than 12 months’ ago.
What’s more, during his time away from British soil, he had established himself as a key part of a hugely-talented Croatian midfield at international level. He even won the Russian Premier League Player of the Year in 2020.
But if Everton fans were fearing that Vlasic would come back to haunt them, they needn’t have worried. Six league starts and just one goal later, the 24-year-old looks set to bring an early end to his London Stadium career.
Is Nikola Vlasic leaving West Ham for Torino?
“Nikola didn’t have the best season in England,” says Olic, putting forth his candidate for the ‘Understatement of the Century’ award.
“It seems to me that the main reason (for his struggles) is that he arrived almost on the last day (of the transfer window), and West Ham already had a team formed. It was not easy (and) it took time to adapt to the league.
“West Ham played well. Vlasic had strong competition for his position. Nicola mostly played in the Europa League but, in the Premier League, he remained a reserve player.”
Vlasic’s agent insisted over the weekend that the midfielder is ‘not interested’ in a return to Russia. Or CSKA, for that matter. Serie A, however, is a far more tempting proposition.
According to TMW, Torino are ‘close’ to agreeing a deal that will see Vlasic arrive on loan, with an option-to-buy clause included in his contract.
“I believe in Vlasic and I know there are a lot of teams that would like to sign him or take him on loan,” adds Olic, a former Bayern Munich and Hamburg striker.
“If West Ham give him the opportunity, then Nicola will change teams (and join a club) he will be given the chance play and where he can get in better shape. This will help him again become one of the leaders of the Croatian national team.
“I wish this for him from the bottom of my heart. I spoke with him. He wants to stay in Europe. For example, to test himself in the German or Spanish championships. He has options.”
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic admitted back in March that Vlasic was willing to leave West Ham on loan in order to enhance his international prospects ahead of the Qatar World Cup.
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