West Ham United have completed (h/t Guardian) the signing of striker Gianluca Scamacca from Serie A club Sassuolo for a fee of £35.5million.
The Hammers have paid £30.5million up front and another £5million in add-ons. They have offered the striker a five-year contract with an option of another 12 months.
A youth product of AS Roma’s academy, Scamacca, 23, joined Sassuolo from PSV Eindhoven in 2017 but enjoyed his breakthrough campaign last year when he scored 16 goals in 36 Serie A appearances. The Italian centre-forward was one of the rare bright sparks in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Sassuolo that saw them finish 11th in the table.
All the way from Rome, Italy…
Welcome to West Ham United, Gianluca Scamacca! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/1ed3VOGFcR
— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 26, 2022
Should Scamacca becomes the Irons’ fourth summer signing, with Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes and Alphonse Areola all coming through the door.
Gianluca Scamacca to West Ham United – What will he add to the team?
After strengthening the options in defence and midfield, West Ham boss David Moyes shifted his focus to bringing in a new striker to compete with Michail Antonio next season.
Antonio, 32, has performed admirably well in the last couple of seasons but has had to shoulder the responsibility of leading West Ham’s attack since Sebastien Haller left the club in January 2021. With achieving European football once again on the club’s agenda, it was imperative they signed Gianluca Scamacca.
Tall, strong and an intimidating striker with a great mix of aerial ability and technical skills, Scamacca represents a smashing addition and will suit Moyes’ style of football at West Ham. The Italian is a real handful for defenders in the box and proficient at getting a few strikes in at goal.
The 23-year-old was a competent performer in the final third as he averaged 2.2 shots, 0.6 dribbles and 14.9 passes per game in Serie A for Sassuolo last campaign. However, a lack of ability to make assists could be viewed as a glaring weakness in his game, with an average of just 0.7 key passes per 90 in the league (stats courtesy: whoscored).
Scamacca has the qualities to make an immediate impact at the London Stadium. At 23, he has a long way to go in his career and could become a natural heir to Antonio.
Having seen him excel at Sassuolo, there is a lot to be excited about the Italy international. Moyes and the fans have every reason to be optimistic about Scamacca’s chances of becoming a success story at West Ham.