According to Calciomercato, West Ham United are interested in signing Juventus midfielder Stefano Sturaro. The club has identified Sturaro as the ideal replacement for Cheikhou Kouyate who was sold to Crystal Palace a few days ago.
Sturaro has a pretty steep price tag, however, as Juventus want €20 million for the midfielder.
Stefano Sturaro – Stats and style of play
Sturaro played a bit part role for Juventus last year. He made only 12 appearances last season, clocking 614 minutes in the process. Playing in central midfield, he mustered 1.4 tackles and had a pass completion rate of 81%.
The 25-year old can play as a box to box midfielder as well as a defensive midfielder sitting just in front of the defence. He is a strong tackler of the ball and never shies away from a challenge. In the box to box role, he provides the drive and energy that West Ham could do with.
The Hammers need an engine in midfield considering Jack Wilshere is susceptible to the injuries and needs to be managed well. That’s where Sturaro could be a key player if the Hammers can sign him.
What will he offer West Ham?
Manuel Pellegrini will play a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 formation. This means he will go with two midfielders at the centre of the park. Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang and Jack Wilshere are the midfield options who will fill in those two positions. Noble does not have much juice left in those legs and was bypassed by some of Premier League’s mobile midfielders last year.
The injury record of Wilshere suggests he cannot be trusted to play all the matches in a physically demanding Premier League and will need to be used properly during the course of the season.
Obiang was paired up with Noble last year for the majority of the games. The former is a good dribbler of the ball and drives at the opposition with giant strides. Like Wilshere, he too is not a renowned tackler of the ball and does not possess the discipline that a defensive midfielder needs.
Sturaro thus can be a valuable addition to the Hammers midfield and will provide them with the steel they lack right now. He will complement the qualities that the other midfielders bring to the side. Sturaro also has the big game pedigree and has played in big Champions League matches as well, so he will be an upgrade on Kouyate if the Hammers can afford him.
Stats courtesy: Whoscored
