Former West Ham United ace Pedro Obiang admits he played a part in Gianluca Scamacca’s £30 million move from Serie A to the Premier League this summer, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport.
18 months; That’s how long separated the departure of Sebastien Haller and the arrival of his most long-awaited of replacements at the London Stadium.
After a year-and-a-half of sustained speculation – and so many failed approaches for so many centre-forwards – the Hammers finally brought an overdue end to their exhaustive striker search in July, snatching Scamacca from under the noses of Paris Saint-Germain.
And Obiang can perhaps expect a Christmas card from David Moyes this year after the Sassuolo midfielder recommended West Ham to his then-Mapei Stadium team-mate.
“I spoke to highly to him about the club,” says Obiang, who spent four years in claret and blue between 2015 and 2019.
“Gianluca is good. He will be the centre forward of Italy. In the Premier League, he will have no problems. He will just need some time to adapt. ”
West Ham land Gianluca Scamacca for £30m
Scamacca, who inherits the number seven shirt at West Ham, will finally ease the crushing burden on Michail Antonio and his piano-wire hamstrings. As tall and strong as an oak tree, the 23-year-old targetman scored 16 Serie A goals last season.
And, as Obiang himself points out, Scamacca should have few issues adapting to the physicality of the Premier League.
Obiang himself, meanwhile, is hoping to make up for lost time this season. The Spain-born 30-year-old spent the whole of 2021/22 on the sidelines after being diagnosed with myocarditis. But he’s back now, with a renewed appreciation for the beautiful game.
“I didn’t realise the seriousness of the problem,” admits Obiang, who spent his time out of the game setting up a wine business. “But I learned how important it is to be checked (by medical experts).
“The specialists told me to be patient, saying that my life was involved. And they were right. When I recovered, I did not believe it.
“Now I’ll just think about playing and having fun.”
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