West Ham man Nikola Vlasic nearly joined Zenit St Petersburg
West Ham man Nikola Vlasic nearly joined Zenit St Petersburg, according to a new report from Russian outlet Championat.
They claim that CSKA and Zenit proposed a swap deal involving Vlasic moving to Zenit and a player moving to CSKA; however, negotiations broke down at the final stage.
This follows on from comments from Vlasic’s dad, who suggested that the player could have moved to AC Milan, so it appears as if the Irons have done well to secure Vlasic’s signature [Vecernji List 02/09/2021, page 39].
The Hammers beat the competition.
The Irons signed the 23-year-old officially on transfer deadline day after they acted swiftly to move in and complete a deal.
However, it does appear as if they faced some tough competition for the Croatian’s signature, and it is fantastic that they managed to sign him.
Knowing how the Irons have operated in previous transfer windows, they would have almost certainly lost out on Vlasic to one of the other clubs who wanted him.
However, despite leaving their business late, the Irons managed to strengthen their squad significantly, and the former Everton man should prove to be a good signing in time.
He has a strong goalscoring record and can play in a variety of positions, so he seems like the ideal addition to David Moyes’ side.
With Southampton coming up this weekend, it could be an immediate impact from Vlasic whether from the bench or starting.
In other West Ham news, a behind-the-scenes claim has been dismissed by some Hammers insiders.
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