WHZ View: West Ham could strike gold by signing Abdallah Sima
West Ham are being heavily linked with young Slavia Prague star Abdallah Sima and a move to bring in the forward could be the perfect piece of business for David Moyes.
Hammers insiders Claret & Hugh have reported that there is interest in the striker from Manchester United and Arsenal, as well as West Ham.
West Ham themselves could hold an advantage in the race to sign Sima, because of their strong ‘Czech connection’ after signing Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal.
The Czech First League has become a hotbed of talent for Moyes’ men, who have had great success with the likes of Soucek and Coufal recently.
Both players were bargain deals, coming in from a league that you would not consider to be one of Europe’s major divisions.
However, the Czech duo have provided immense value already and if they can play their part in any future negotiations, then the Hammers have certainly got their money’s worth.
Soucek himself even confirmed that he has been acting as a link behind the scenes for West Ham.
Sima is certainly one for the future and his performances for Prague this season are earning rave reviews.
He has been compared to Arsenal and Premier League legend Thierry Henry as a result of his goals and all-round game.
Domestically this season, he has seven goals in six league starts for Slavia Prague. Meanwhile, in all competitions, Sima has 14 goals in 20 appearances – three of which have come in the Europa League.
At this stage, it is unclear about how much a potential deal for Sima could cost West Ham, either in January or the summer.
However, when you consider the fact that Coufal and Soucek combined cost around £21million, you could speculate that it might be a figure close to or near that for one of the best young players in the country.
If Sima can hit the ground running in the Premier League and replicate the kind of form he is showing in the Europa League and domestically for Slavia Prague, the Hammers will not struggle to make a huge profit further down the line on the young striker.
In other West Ham news, David Ornstein claims Rice’s move from West Ham to Chelsea is ‘case of when’