West Ham United are reportedly keen on Krasnodar striker Fyodor Smolov.
West Ham United’s 1-0 home win over Chelsea on Saturday afternoon has given the Hammers renewed belief that they can haul themselves away from the Premier League relegation zone.
The Hammers won for the first time under David Moyes as Marko Arnautovic bagged a first-half winner, and Moyes will be hoping for similar against Arsenal tonight.
The win was also made somewhat sweeter given that one of West Ham’s top January transfer targets criticised Moyes’ tactics in the recent 2-1 defeat at Manchester City.
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham are keen to snap up Krasnodar striker Fyodor Smolov, who has smashed 56 goals in 87 games for the Russian side.
Expected to be a star at the World Cup, Smolov is attracting major interest ahead of the January transfer window, but he appeared to rule out a move to West Ham last week.
Speaking to Sport-Express in his native Russia, Smolov suggested that West Ham’s style of play wouldn’t suit him, as he didn’t want to be in a side that predominantly defended, based on that loss at City.
However, West Ham showed Smolov what he’s missing with a rousing performance against Chelsea. Yes, West Ham were on the back foot for large spells, but the Hammers showed that on any given day, they can in fact challenge with the Premier League’s elite, which is something that Smolov should be keen to do at the age of 27.
Moyes may be more willing to be a little more expansive if he had a striker of Smolov’s quality, whilst basing an entire team’s tactical approach based on one away game at the undefeated Premier League leaders, when West Ham were desperate for points, seems somewhat naïve – and Smolov should be looking at West Ham’s impressive win over Chelsea as a sign of what they can do, and how he can be a part of that in 2018.
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