Signing Sebastien Haller would represent “one of the deals of the season” from West Ham, were they to pull it off, according to European football expert Kevin Hatchard.
The 25-year-old Frenchman has been linked with a move to east London, as reported by Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, and Hatchard is of the belief that its would be a good move for the Hammers.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “Sebastian Haller is being strongly linked with West Ham now.
“I think he’s a super player. He’s a centre-forward who is great at bringing others into play. His all-round game is great; he’s good in the air and a really good goalscorer.
“I think he’d be an absolute steal if West Ham could get him.
“The feeling amongst local journalists who follow Frankfurt is there is nothing concrete – but they certainly aren’t denying it. And there have been widespread reports that it has moved on and Haller is very strongly linked to West Ham.
“If they can get it done, I think it could be one of the deals of the season.”
OPINION
Haller would be a fantastic signing for West Ham. The Eintracht Frankfurt forward is man mountain, standing at 6’3″ tall, and he backs up that natural physicality with some impressive statistics. The Frenchman won at least 59 more aerial duels than any other player in the Bundesliga last season, according to Whoscored, at an average of 6.9 per match. He also managed 1.9 shots per game, as well as 1.3 key passes per match, and by the looks of things, could be a real handful. Whether the Hammers can actually land him is a different kettle of fish, of course, but judging by his stats, plus Hatchard’s endorsement, they would be daft if they didn’t at least try to. A striker is an absolute must for the Irons this summer, and on the basis of this, it’s hard to see a realistic target who would be better suited to life in east London.