Emma Hayes heaped praise on West Ham attacker Sebastien Haller ahead of the Hammers losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace.
The Sky Sports pundit claimed the 25-year-old had been a massive player for Manuel Pellegrini’s side so far this season and added that she thought he had been one of the most impressive new recruits in the Premier League.
Hayes added that she thought Haller gives West Ham another dimension due to his ability to link-up with teammate Andriy Yarmolenko.
“Massive, I think he’s been one of the most impressive signings to the Premier League,” said Hayes on Sky Sports Main Event (17:27, Saturday, October 5th).
“I think his link-up with Yarmolenko gives West Ham another dimension and he brings something that they’ve been missing in these parts.”
OPINION
It’s no surprise Hayes has been impressed by Haller’s start to life at the London Stadium as it’s going better than expected. While the Hammers did spend big on the Frenchman so expectations were high, you still would have thought that the 25-year-old would have taken time to warm up to the Premier League. However, that hasn’t been the case. Haller got his fourth league goal of his Hammers career against Palace on Saturday after showing great composure to fire the ball home after Ryan Fredericks put it on a plate for him. The 25-year-old also hasn’t just impressed due to being in clinical in front of goal as he has made a difference due to his physical presence. Haller has won on average 7.2 aerial duels per game and has even averaged 1.7 tackles per match (Source: WhoScored) and having someone who can make themselves known to opponents in a physical way, is only going to help the Hammers achieve positive results this season.
