West Ham United are willing to pay £17.5 million for Mbala Nzola as the Premier League outfit look to snatch the Spezia striker from under the noses of Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
After a spell frozen out by former boss Thiago Motta, Nzola is certainly making up for lost time. A man who burst onto the scene with a flurry of high-profile goals during the 2020/21 season is back with a bang, only Ademola Lookman and (guess who?) Victor Osimhen netting more than his 12 in Serie A this term.
In all competitions, Nzola has a highly-impressive 14. One of those came against Inter Milan before the March international break, the late-blooming frontman scoring one and setting up another as Spezia secured a famous win over the Nerazzuri.
As such, a striker in such high demand a couple of windows ago once again finds himself in the spotlight. According to Il Secolo XIX, via Roma Live, long-time admirers West Ham are ‘willing’ to invest £17.5 million in Nzola.
That has not stopped Roma from growing increasingly confident that Nzola will end up in the Italian capital instead, however, potentially as part of a deal that will see Eldor Shomurodov move in the other direction.
West Ham United could battle Jose Mourinho for Mbala Nzola
Interestingly, Nzola’s physical approach has led to comparisons with a man who helped fire Chelsea to their first ever Premier League title under a certain Jose Mourinho nearly two decades ago.
“(Nzola) is is a fast striker,” ex-Spezia boss Vincenzo Italiano says of a 26-year-old who, like Didier Drogba, arrived belatedly at the top table after making his name in the lower leagues.
“He is good at attacking the box and making the team play well. I see a young Drogba in him.”
Presuming David Moyes stays at the London Stadium, Angola international Nzola looks well-suited to leading West Ham’s attack. He is quick, powerful and an excellent link man, not too dissimilar to a peak-era Michail Antonio.
Nzola reportedly turned down the likes of West Brom, Fulham and Nottingham Forest back in 2021.
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