West Ham United could sign ‘one of the best centre-forwards in Europe’ if AZ Alkmaar striker Vangelis Pavlidis swaps the Eredivisie for the Premier League during the January transfer window.
It’s fair to say that the record of Eredivisie exports in English football is rather mixed. For every Luis Suarez, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Graziano Pelle, there is an Afonso Alves and a Matija Kezman.
It remains to be seen which category Vangelis Pavlidis would fall into, TEAMtalk reporting that AZ Alkmaar’s stylish Greek international is one of the strikers on West Ham United’s radar ahead of the winter window.
As far as Niklas Machlas is concerned, however, Pavlidis’ terrific goals tally speaks for itself. The former Willem II frontman has 15 from 19 appearances in 2023/24, with the 1998 European Golden Boot winner convinced that Pavlidis belongs among the very best on the continent.
West Ham eye Eredivisie ace Vangelis Pavlidis
“I would have advised Ajax to sign Vangelis Pavlidis before this season, although he would probably have cost quite a bit. I think he is a real Ajax striker,” Machlas, who himself enjoyed a prolific spell in Amsterdam, tells Voetbal International.
“He is very complete and is now well on his way to becoming the next Greek top scorer in the Eredivisie. That also makes me a little proud.
“I think Vangelis is one of the best centre-forwards in Europe at the moment. He could easily come close to my number of 34 goals as top scorer. I am curious whether AZ will sell him in January. I know that John (van’t Schip, Ajax coach) is a fan of Vangelis, but I expect that his future will now lie outside the Eredivisie.”
15 goals in 19 games
Pavlidis, a highly-technical and supremely gifted number nine who is at his best when bamboozling defenders with his quick feet, is one of a number of strikers under consideration by West Ham.
The Hammers are also keen on Chelsea’s Armando Broja, Bayer Leverkusen’s Adam Hlozek and Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy. The Europa Conference League champions also tried to sign Yuri Alberto from Internacional over the summer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
