Slavia Prague may be tempted to cash in on Arsenal and West Ham United target Abdallah Sima, but former player Jetr Svancara is desperate to see the jet-heeled hot-shot stay, as he told Expres.
Slavia president Jaroslav Tvrdik bullishly claimed that he would not accept a penny less than £50 million for Sima this month.
And you can understand his hard-line stance, with the Red and Whites sitting top of the Czech league table while preparing for a European clash with Leicester City.
With 14 goals in 21 matches this season, Sima represents Slavia’s best hope of silverware and a sustained run in continental competition.
But, according to Calciomercato, Arsenal are circling around a 19-year-old tantalisingly labelled ‘the new Thierry Henry’.
It is common knowledge, meanwhile, that West Ham are looking to fill a Sebastien Haller-shaped hole in David Moyes’ attack with Sima exactly the kind of speedy, versatile attacker the Scot admires (Sport).
And while former Slavia forward Svancara would understand if Sima was sold, he is praying that a mid-season departure can be avoided with so much on the line.
“He is fast, he works great with the ball, he is excellent with his head. In the final phase he behaves like an experienced fighter, while he is a young boy,” said Svancara.
“If a young player jumps into the league and starts to produce numbers (in terms of goals), he is suddenly very interesting for clubs abroad.
“He is humble, appreciates the fact that he is at Slavia. Such a personalty is a great precondition for him to establish himself abroad.
“He can help Slavia a lot in the fight for the title and in the European League. I would keep him, its quality and numbers are unbelievable.”
Svancara accepts that Slavia may be tempted to strike while the iron is hot and accept a huge fee for a forward who only forced his way into the starting XI a few months ago.
“But it is true that this ‘quick deal’, to earn half a billion (Czech Krone, £17 million) for a boy who has been in the team for half a year, is unbelievable.
“I would understand if Slavia sold him, because football is a business after all. But I don’t want him to leave. He is the star of the league.”
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