WHZ View: Eriksen deal would solve West Ham creative conundrum
Christian Eriksen was once considered among the Premier League elite, but his recent fall from grace is no slight on his ability and West Ham should be at the front of the queue for his services in January.
After joining Inter Milan from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2020 Eriksen made 26 appearances and scored four goals in the second half of the campaign as the Nerazzurri finished runners-up in Serie A and the Europa League.
It was by no means a seamless transition to life in Italy but the Denmark international was expected to kick on this season and truly prove his worth, but this has not transpired and he is currently goalless and unable to break into the starting XI. He has been made available for a move in January with West Ham reportedly considering an offer.
Regardless of his Inter woes, David Moyes should be all over the signature of Eriksen as he seeks to instil a more creative element to his West Ham side.
Per Wyscout, the Hammers are 13th when it comes to through passes per 90, with 5.43.
The also rank 16th for passes to the final third with 46.04 per 90.
Eriksen’s game is all about supplying the forward line with chances, evident in his league-high 106 through balls in 2018/19 (his last full season in the Premier League).
He also ranked in the top 15 for passes to the final third, with 315.
Set-piece specialist Aaron Cresswell leads the assist charts for West Ham this season, with four in 17 Premier League games, while four players have two apiece as their lack of an obvious creative spark in open play is laid bare.
Tactical tweak
David Moyes is currently undergoing something of a tactical reshuffle for the Hammers as he ponders the merits of a ‘number 10’ in the team.
Per WhoScored, West Ham’s most selected starting formations this season have been 5-4-1 (6 games) and 4-2-3-1 (5 games).
In the former they have scored 13 in 6 Premier League games, while they have only hit four in the five games lining up in the latter.
This can be attributed to a number of factors, particularly the personnel that has been available to Moyes when deciding on the formation.
However, it is patently clear that the Hammers are crying out for an elite level number 10 that can help take them to the next stage, which might be a run for the European places in this open Premier League season.
Noble experiment a failure
This shout was most obvious in Moyes’ selections against Chelsea and Brighton in December, where he deployed 33-year-old club captain Mark Noble in behind front man Sebastien Haller.
While Eriksen cannot claim to be the most agile of players, Noble’s lack of athleticism, combined with his inability to create chances, was clear for all to see and crippled the West Ham attack as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Chelsea and a disappointing 1-1 home draw to Brighton.
Said Benrahma is another who has been tried out in this position and while he is a creative outlet, his time at Brentford showed his best position is out on the left wing, giving him the chance to cut in and show his superb shooting abilities.
With Benrahma showing his tricky skills on one side, and the fleet-footed Jarrod Bowen darting from the right, the West Ham attack has all the makings of becoming a dangerous prospect for Premier League sides.
If the vision and ball-playing abilities of Eriksen can be added in the middle, behind the power and pace of Michail Antonio (or indeed the towering Haller if he can be rejuvenated), fans of the Hammers can be excited to watch their team again.
With a solid base at the back sat behind the midfield enforcers of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, an assault for the European places looks like a realistic prospect.
Eriksen could be the missing piece of the jigsaw, and he would be worth the punt.
In other West Ham news, Issa Diop being eyed by London rival.