Eddie Nketiah on West Ham’s shortlist as Moyes hunts Haller replacement – report
Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has emerged as a transfer target for West Ham as they aim to replace Sebastien Haller, according to the London Evening Standard.
On Friday, the Irons confirmed on their official Twitter account that Haller’s switch to Ajax had been completed with the Dutch club announcing the deal was worth €22.5million (£20.2million).
The Evening Standard reports that Moyes has been promised he can reinvest that money into his squad at the London Stadium and 21-year-old Nketiah is on the West Ham manager’s shortlist.
The Irons are reportedly keen to know whether Arsenal are willing to sell Nketiah this month with the England Under-21 international in the final 18 months of his contract at the Emirates.
Nketiah? Yes, please
Let’s be honest, we’re not going to miss Haller.
The Ivory Coast international struggled to prove his worth in his season-and-a-half at the London Stadium with Michail Antonio constantly outshining him up front.
Nketiah is a young, up-and-coming striker who probably won’t mind from being in Antonio’s shadow for the next season or so as he continues his development.
But just because Nketiah is a young player, it doesn’t mean that he’s not ready to play a starring role in the Premier League in East London.
Nketiah has scored five goals in 21 appearances across all competitions this season and throughout his entire career, he’s netted four times in 10 Premier League starts.
According to stats by Wyscout, Nketiah’s xG in all competitions for Arsenal this season is 0.51 per 90 minutes of game-time. He’s scored at a rate of 0.41 goals per 90 minutes this term so while he’s slightly underperforming in front of goal, he’s still expected to score every other game if he gets a full 90 minutes under his belt.
Haller, who is a 26-year-old full international for the Ivory Coast and has proven himself capable of smashing in the goals in Germany and the Netherlands, had an xG of 0.48 per 90 minutes in all competitions this season – which is lower than Nketiah’s.
Nketiah is someone who is only going to get better and better.
In 2017, Gunners legend Thierry Henry tipped the youngster to become something special in the future by saying to The Sun: “He is a great kid and was a pleasure to work with. He was always on time, listened hard and was a good worker, willing to learn and improve.
“He will always score goals, even when he’s 60! He is just a killer in the box.”
If that is what Henry thought of Nketiah a few years ago, before he had become a proper part of Arsenal’s first-team set-up, then just think how much he can continue to improve at West Ham, where he’s likely to get plenty of opportunities this season and in the future.
In other West Ham news, Frank McAvennie has taken a swipe at Felipe Anderson with a return to the London Stadium on the cards.