David Moyes believes Nikola Vlasic has been really impressive in training since joining West Ham United from CSKA Moscow in a Deadline Day transfer, via quotes by football-london.
The Hammers dipped into the market for two late-window deals last month to strengthen their midfield options. West Ham bought Vlasic for an initial £27m rising to £35m with add-ons, while loaning Alex Kral from Spartak Moscow.
Vlasic fills the void Jesse Lingard left in Moyes’ plans after the England maestro returned to parent club Manchester United. The 28-year-old was a sensation during his time on loan at the London Stadium from January, striking nine goals and five assists in 16 appearances.
Moyes awarded Vlasic his debut from the bench during West Ham’s goalless stalemate at Southampton on Saturday. The 23-year-old featured for 27-minuets and instantly sought to make an impact at St Mary’s. He often found pockets of space and drove play with his runs.
Vlasic could now make his first start when the Hammers visit Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday night. But Moyes wants to give the 29-cap Croatia international every chance to get up to speed at West Ham. Believing, in time, he can fill an important role.
“We like him,” Moyes said. “We watched him a lot at CSKA Moscow and in the Euros. We see a young player still developing, but one who already has a lot of experience and caps for Croatia.
“He can play several roles for us, which is important. But we also want to give him the chance to adapt and adjust. He’s been really impressive since he’s been at the club, and we’re really hopeful that he’ll turn into a really good player for us.”
Should Moyes hand Vlasic first West Ham start at Dinamo Zagreb?
Vlasic scored once in four appearances at Euro 2020, after netting 12 and assisting six in 34 outings for CSKA Moscow last season, to catch Moyes and West Ham’s attention as they targeted a new creative midfield option to replace the instant impact Lingard delivered.
The Split native also provided one assist in five Premier Liga games before sealing his move to east London. And celebrated his Deadline Day transfer by scoring in Croatia’s World Cup qualifying stage win over Slovenia last week. He featured in all three, starting two, of their Group H fixtures, to now boast seven goals and two assists in 29 career international caps.
After his promising cameo at Southampton and impressing in training, Moyes could now look to hand Vlasic his first West Ham start when they visit Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday.
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