Reported West Ham United target Jordan Larsson is “overrated” by Spartak Moscow supporters, former Soviet Union star Evgeny Lovchev has told Sport24 after the striker was linked with the London club.
And Lovchev isn’t the only one suggesting Larsson still has a lot to learn at the age of 24.
Speaking earlier this year, Pavel Kucherov, an experienced scout who worked in England with Arsenal and Everton, suggested the one-time Barcelona youngster wasn’t “ready” to join a club of West Ham’s size.
Then again, the likes of Vladimir Coufal, Jesse Lingard, Tomas Soucek and Craig Dawson arrived at the London Stadium amid plenty of scepticism too.
And it’s fair to say they left their critics red-faced, starring as the Hammers secured Europa League qualification last season.
Larsson, then, deserves the benefit of the doubt, especially given superstar-spotters Borussia Dortmund are also big fans of a man who scored 15 goals in 29 Russian Premier League games last season (Goal).
Could Jordan Larsson make a move to West Ham?
“For many red-and-white fans, (Netherlands international Quincy) Promes and Larsson are top players,” says Lovchev, a Spartak legend.
“I don’t understand why this is the case? How much did they play at Euro 2020? (Larsson didn’t play a single minute), which suggests they are slightly below average.
“Not to mention they do not have the Spartak spirit.”
With Barcelona benchwarmer Martin Braithwaite closing in on a move to West Ham – the London giants have agreed a £13 million deal with the five-time European champions – the smart money is on Larsson spending at least one more season in the Russian capital.
The son of former Celtic talisman Henrik, Larsson Jr has also been linked with a shock return to Camp Nou having spent two years in the club’s fabled La Masia academy during his father’s time in the iconic blue-and-red shirt.
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