West Ham United send scouts to monitor Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic
By Joshua Slack
West Ham United sent scouts to watch Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic on Monday (6 June), according to the print version of the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported on 8 June (page 66) that the 24-year-old striker is a target for the Hammers as they look to bolster their attack ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
The Irons reportedly sent scouts to watch Austria play Denmark in Vienna and it is believed 6ft 7 forward Kalajdzic was the player they were monitoring.
The Stuttgart striker played the first 45 minutes, as Austria suffered a 2-1 defeat to Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.
Physical presence
Standing at 6ft 7 in height, Kalajdzic will be a handful for any team he faces, and he has proved that during his time in Germany for Stuttgart.
During the 54 appearances he made for the Bundesliga outfit, Kalajdzic netted on 23 occasions, including a vital goal against FC Cologne on the last game of the season – a game Stuttgart went on to win 2-1, as they narrowly avoided the relegation play-off.
His physical presence could make him a perfect fit for West Ham, and it will give them an entirely different dimension and it will mean they won’t be so reliant on Michail Antonio as a solo striker.
Signing a player like Kalajdzic could be just what David Moyes requires and Antonio could even feed from knockdowns from the Austrian forward.
Much like Antonio, Kalajdzic also possesses excellent hold-up play and when you have talented players like Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma behind you, you are also going to create chances and cause defences problems.
And a player of Kalajdzic’s calibre could also help to crave their teething problems going forward into the new Premier League season, as the Iron look to build on last season’s seventh-placed finish.
In other West Ham news, a deal is on the cards to sign a forward who Moyes once compared to Wayne Rooney.
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