Full-backs are key part of the David Moyes gameplan. More specifically, adventurous, attack-minded full-backs.
His Everton side consistently challenged for European qualification with Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines flying forward on the overlap. During the 2020/21 season at West Ham United, meanwhile, Aaron Cresswell’s tally of eight assists from left-back placed him ahead of Andy Robertson, Lucas Digne, James Ward-Prowse, Raheem Sterling and Sadio Mane.
West Ham’s interest in Josip Juranovic, then, makes sense to those au fait with the Croatian’s style and strength (90Min).
West Ham like Celtic’s Josip Juranovic and he could replace Vladimir Coufal
“(As a youngster) he was a pure midfielder and nothing else. After a couple of months, (he was transformed) into a right-back,” Croatian reporter Marko Sapit explains; speaking to The Athletic in 2021 following Juranovic’s £2.5 million move from Hajduk Split to Celtic.
“He had an amazing work ethic and that he was a very intelligent player. His physical capabilities helped him go into that role. He could go up and down, up and down, all the time. Great fitness.
“His crosses are really good, and he is a great defender.”
As you might expect, given that he spent his formative years pulling the strings in the centre of the park, Juranovic’s technical ability and seemingly-endless energy reserves remain his key attributes. During an excellent debut season at Parkhead, the reported £15 million Manchester United target hit double figures for goals and assists combined.
Compare that to the player he could replace at the London Stadium. Vladimir Coufal has been a solid, reliable performer for the Hammers over the last two-and-a-half years. But, in 17 games this season, he’s neither scored a goal nor created one. According to The Times, Coufal is likely to be sold in January with Moyes losing confidence in his tough-tackling Czech Republic international.
£15m could be enough to sign Juranovic
Juranovic, at 27, is three years Coufal’s senior. And while the latter does has an adventurous streak, Coufal certainly doesn’t possess the same technical ability as Juranovic. Or, for that matter, the same flexibility.
Juranovic has filled in at left-back impressively on occasions north of the border, and looks better suited to a wing-back role under Moyes than Coufal does. The West Ham boss has often set his side up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in recent months.
The Coufal-Cresswell partnership played a major part in West Ham’s revival under Moyes. A Juranovic-Cresswell partnership, however, feels a bit more, well, Moyes.
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