West Ham have struggled without Dimitri Payet this season but there is a transfer target from Napoli who could easily replace him.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
Like him or loathe him, West Ham United have certainly been a far weaker side this season following the departure of Dimitri Payet in January.
Just as everything seemed to come together at the right time in 2015/16 – with Slaven Bilic arriving as manager, Payet signed and hitting the ground running, and a fond farewell to the Boleyn Ground – conspiring in a seventh place finish, it all went against the Hammers a year later.
The East London side have found life tough at their new London Stadium home, some are starting to doubt Bilic’s tactics and less than a year after arriving from Marseille, their best player and member of the PFA Team of the Year forced a move back to the French city.
Ahead of the final game of the 2016/17 campaign the highest West Ham can realistically finish is 11th. The lowest is 16th. They have lacked that creative spark that Payet provided.
Yet they have now been linked with a player who could not only fill the void left by the France international, but actually prove to be an upgrade. According to the Sun they are chasing Napoli star Dries Mertens.
Napoli’s Dries Mertens shoots
A versatile attacker, Mertens has truly made a name for himself during his four years in Naples, with 25 goals and eight assists in Serie A this season alone – a scoring tally only bettered by AS Roma’s Edin Dzeko.
The Belgium international has operated as striker this term, but likes to drop deep having previously been a left winger and number ten.
Essentially Mertens has the ability to link up the play, provide assists and key passes, and put the ball in the back of the net himself. If the Hammers can sign the 30-year-old it will be a bigger coup than Payet.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
