West Ham in race against time to sign their own Enzo Fernandez as approach made
West Ham are desperately searching for a new central midfielder before the transfer deadline, and have now made an approach for one player.
The Hammers have had a nightmare start to the season with heavy defeats against Sunderland and Chelsea, and they are facing the prospect of a relegation battle.
West Ham urgently need more speed in their ageing midfield, but bids have been rejected for several targets, including Barcelona’s Marc Casado.
Graham Potter has now set his sights on another midfielder, but West Ham are in a race against time to secure his signature.
West Ham make approach for Romano Schmid
West Ham are now interested in Werder Bremen midfielder Romano Schmid, and are aiming to bring him to the Premier League before the transfer deadline.
Reporter Florian Plettenberg has claimed that West Ham are in talks to sign Schmid, who has two years left on his contract.
- Schmid typically plays as a number 10 for Werder Bremen, offering creativity and goal threat.
- The 25-year-old has scored 14 goals and provided 27 assists in 159 games for the Bundesliga side.
West Ham will have to move quickly to sign Schmid though, as it is claimed that Ligue 1 side Lille, as well as other clubs, are all keen on signing the Austrian before the 1 September deadline.
With just over a week remaining in the window, the Hammers are running out of time to sign a midfielder, and they will hope that Schmid can be the signing they need to drastically improve.
Romano Schmid can be West Ham’s Enzo Fernandez
As per FBref, one of the most similar profiles to Schmid is Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, who scored at the London Stadium in the thrashing last time out.
Both are midfielders who play either as a number 10 or in deeper positions, and both are similar in terms of their underlying numbers.
Schmid ranks highly among central midfielders in attacking phases, as one of the best when it comes to progressive passes, carries and shot-creating actions, but ranks very low for pass completion.
Clearly, Schmid is someone who can help transform West Ham’s attack, but questions remain over his defensive abilities if he is to play in deeper positions.
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