West Ham keen on signing Duvan Zapata in the summer
West Ham are reportedly pursuing the prospect of bringing Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata to the London Stadium this summer.
According to Eurosport, the Hammers will have £35m to shell out on a striker this summer, and Zapata is the latest name to be added the their shortlist.
The club have been looking to add a forward to their ranks ever since Sebastien Haller left in the January window.
At the time, they didn’t rope in an attacker, but now David Moyes is hell-bent on signing somebody, and Zapata could be on his way to East London this summer.
The Colombian’s best season was undoubtedly the 2018/19 one where he bagged 23 goals. In comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo, playing his first season for Juventus, could only score 21.
Zapata has still got that killer instinct to grab 20 league goals in a season, and he could be an ideal fit for West Ham.
Age the only concern
On paper, Zapata to West Ham sounds like a perfect fit. He’s mobile, clinical and physical, and will undoubtedly be an upgrade on Michail Antonio.
He has experience of playing in the Champions League and has scored against the best of sides. His injury record post his muscle tear in 2019 has been close to spotless, having just missed two games since the start of 2020.
However, that won’t change the fact that he is on the wrong side of 30 and is unlikely to get any better.
Even if he is in his prime and can deliver numbers like did two seasons ago, there’s no guarantee that he continues to fire on all cylinders in the next 18-24 months.
Very often strikers peak between 27 and 30, and after that their decline is evident, and we fear it could be the same case for Zapata.
Also, if we are to spend £35m on somebody, it should be on someone younger, possibly yet to peak, who can be at the club and give us his best for at least the next five years.
We have been linked with an array of names and shouldn’t pursue Zapata unless all the other options are unfeasible.
In other West Ham news, ‘Lazy’ – Former Hammers star slams club as shock transfer links reported
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