West Ham United have had yet another season to forget, haven’t they? Things aren’t going well on the pitch, behind the scenes and even the fans have lost patience with a few ugly incidents on the pitch taking place in recent times.
The club has moved back after moving to the new stadium and need some sort of a reprieve in the summer else the story will be as vitriolic as this next season as well. The West Ham board needs to make a statement in the summer transfer market and ensure that things are calm going into the new season.
If recent reports are to believed, the club could go after Newcastle United forward Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serbian is on loan at Fulham and has done pretty well in the Championship.
Mitrovic – Stats
In 11 Championship games so far this season, Mitrovic has mustered eight goals which is a pretty good return. After a low-key start with Newcastle last year, the Serb was loaned out to Fulham to give him more game time and he’s played a key role for the club and their promotion ambitions.
A pretty strong forward, Mitrovic can hold the ball well and is the right player to use if you have wide players who can deliver a cross. He has won 3.4 aerial balls a game which just shows how good a player he is in the air. (Stats via Whoscored)
What will he add to West Ham?
West Ham already have a player in Andy Carroll who can do everything Mitrovic can. The only problem is Carroll has been too injury prone and hasn’t played the number of games the side wants him to play.
Mitrovic will add more strength up top and could work well with creative players around him, but his temperament is another issue that needs to be discussed.
Often a hot-head on the pitch, Mitrovic can be a liability when things aren’t going the team’s way. While his passion on the field is admirable and get the fans off their seats, he comes with a bag of defects.
His spell at Fulham has made him a better player as his move to England came a bit too soon, but West Ham are better off without him. The club should look for someone else out there in the transfer market, someone who can offer more to the team unlike Mitrovic who’s abilities are limited.
