Simone Zaza has struggled at West Ham United and is already being linked with a move away but could a permanent transfer actually help him.
Everton’s Ashley Williams in action with West Ham United’s Simone Zaza
Zaza is halfway to triggering West Ham United‘s whopping £25 million obligation to buy him from Juventus but even the player himself has admitted he is struggling.
If the Italian can’t get into a West Ham side that is not scoring freely and where his three rivals for a starting spot are injured or not fully fit then it doesn’t bode well.
The striker was a substitute yet again in the 2-0 defeat to Everton last time out with winger Michail Antonio preferred up front.
But coming on as a sub Zaza clocked up another appearance as he reached seven games, halfway to activating the 14-game obligation to buy clause for an eye-watering club record.
Zaza looks dejected
In truth the bizarre obligation to buy – not the usual ‘option to buy’ clause you tend to see in loan deals – has become an albatross around the neck of the player, Bilic and the board.
While pundits and fans alike have seen for themselves that Zaza is struggling to adapt to life in the Premier League, the player told club’s official website he has felt more comfortable in recent weeks.
But his lack of game time in the club’s last two games against Chelsea and Everton suggests Bilic does not trust the player and is wary of the looming 14-game clause.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic speaks with Zaza
That is understandable given Zaza has not even come close to a goal with over a quarter of the season gone.
He has been linked with a return to Italy, but could the answer be for the club to put their faith in him by making the move permanent.
It would undoubtedly be a risky strategy.
For some fans it is inconceivable that the Hammers could potentially pay out a club record £25m to sign a striker who has in many ways already proved he is not cut out for the English game.
But it has also been noted by many that the player who became something of a laughing stock after that penalty run-up and miss for Italy at Euro 2016 appears to be low and confidence and trying too hard.
Could permanent move remove the albatross from around Zaza’s neck?
Throw in a new country, new language, new teammates and the fact the Premier League is undoubtedly the most competitive in the world and you begin to sympathise with the 25-year-old.
A permanent move would free him of the shackles of that obligation and the immense pressure that brings each time he takes to the field.
Hammers fans know what he can do, they saw it when he scored the winner against them in a 3-2 victory for Juve in the official opening match at the Olympic Stadium in the summer; beating the West Ham offside trap and sprinting away from young Reece Oxford before calmly slotting home.
Indeed it could be risky to let him go. There are hardly a plethora of realistic options open to Bilic in January.
What players are proving they can score regularly at the highest level that West Ham could actually go out and buy, especially with the club currently languishing near the bottom three?
If Zaza goes elsewhere and performs to his potential it may leave the Hammers looking even more foolish.
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