Well it’s finally happened and Simone Zaza is now a West Ham player. He talks a good game, as you will see in this video, recorded yesterday. It’s a strange deal and not a permanent signing. According to Jack Sullivan it’s a £5 million loan, which, if he plays a relatively small number of games is automatically turned into a five year contract, with an extra £20 million changing hands. That would make him our record signing.
Cheeky shot of the big man and zaza ???? from yesterday! pic.twitter.com/uocbGiTnXZ
— Jack Sullivan (@jsullivanwhu) August 27, 2016
Zaza is a very strong, pacy centre-forward, but is he a 20 goal a season striker? The jury is well and truly out on that one. In 2012 he scored 11 in 18 for Serie B club Viareggio. He followed that up with 18 in 35 for Ascoli. Then came 20 in 64 for Sassuolo, but for Juventus he’s only played 19 times, scoring 5 goals. And for Italy he’s only scored 1 goal in 14 games.
Zaza told WHUFC.com…
I want to thank everyone for welcoming me including the fans and everyone at the Club. I wanted to start a new experience and I feel this is the right choice for me. I have been fortunate enough to have already played at the new Stadium with a different shirt. It is a beautiful stadium and I felt the warmth of the fans and this was a big reason why I wanted to join the Club. I want to become a better player and I know I can do that at West Ham. Unfortunately we could not qualify for the Europa League, but I am hoping I can help the Club do that next season.”
This move should see the departure of Enner Valencia, although not to Aston Villa. The Villa owner has called time on the move after seeing Valencia actually play! It will be interesting to see now if the Hammers continue their interest in Wilfried Bony.