Fabrizio Romano: Nikola Vlasic expects to leave West Ham United for good as manager shares update
Fabrizio Romano expects Nikola Vlasic to depart West Ham United in 2023 with Torino manager Ivan Jurić a big fan of the Croatian midfielder.
The Serie A side have a £13.1million buy option included in the 25-year-old’s loan agreement, and The Guardian’s Romano has revealed (via Twitter, 11 November) that a London Stadium exit is now very likely.
Vlasic has four goals and three assists for Torino in all competitions so far in the 2022/23 season and it appears Juric is eager to make his deal permanent.
“He’s a very good player, important player – I like him,” said Juric (quoted by Fabrizio Romano, 11 November)
Time to go
Vlasic is simply a case of a player who didn’t adapt to his surroundings at the London Stadium. He’s clearly a very talented player, who is more than capable of playing in the Premier League, however, for whatever reason, it didn’t work out for him. Serie A seems to be an environment he is comfortable in and if Torino want to make the move permanent then it’s the best for all concerned.
Vlasic will be able to feature regularly and be an important part of Torino’s success, the Serie A side get a player in the prime of his career and West Ham receive a transfer fee and free up wages and space in their squad to add further quality to their ranks.
The influence of David Moyes was not beneficial for Vlasic who wasn’t really given a chance under the Scot. If a different manager had been at the helm at the London Stadium then it could well have been a different story for the Croatian.
It appears he is highly regarded in Turin, with club president Urbano Cairo (Tutto Mercato Web, 10 November) also a big fan of the attacker.