West Ham United have a big advantage over Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in the race to sign Serie A and Spezia hotshot M’Bala Nzola for a bargain £5 million.
As Tuttosport point out, there is one man at the London Stadium who could pave the way for one of the most in-form strikers in Italian football to end up in the English capital. It’s not David Moyes, however, or indeed anyone in the West Ham dressing room.
Owner David Sullivan, the report explains, has an ‘excellent relationship’ with Giovanni Branchini; Nzola’s agent.
Branchini represents Angelo Ogbonna, the long-serving West Ham centre-back, and could see another his clients end the summer in claret-and-blue. Nzola’s contract at Spezia expires in 2024. As such, Tuttosport believe that an offer of £5 million may be enough, even if other publications have indicated that bids closer to £20 million may be forthcoming.
Crystal Palace and West Ham like Serie A striker M’Bala Nzola
Either way, Nzola could be a potentially inspired addition to a West Ham side struggling for goals. Only Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen have more than him in Serie A; the Angola international netting 14 in all competitions.
Nzola is also reportedly a Crystal Palace target. The well-travelled centre-forward was turned down by Palace as a youngster but remains on their radar. The Hammers will hope that the Sullivan factor is enough to see them snatch Nzola from under the noses of a direct London rival.
West Ham’s track record when it comes to getting the best out of talented number nines is, to put it simply, pretty miserable. Nzola, however, looks well-suited to English football due to his physicality, power and ability to link the play effectively while leading the line. A skill-set not too dissimilar to that of Moyes favourite Michail Antonio.
Nzola has even drawn comparisons to a ‘young Didier Drogba’ at times.
“He’s a reserved, shy boy. It’s a strange thing because he doesn’t seem like that,” Angola coach Pedro Soares Goncalves tells Portuguese publication ZeroZero.
“He has physical power, but this doesn’t take away from his concentration and desire to succeed. Nzola has tremendous potential.
“The biggest challenge now is maintaining consistency. If he succeeds, I think he can make the leap to one of the best European clubs.”
“(Nzola) is is a fast striker,” adds former Spezia coach Vincenzo Italiano. “(He is) good at attacking the box and making the team play well. I have known him since the days of Trapani (in 2018/19).
“I see Drogba in him as a young man.”
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