West Ham Speaking With Napoli Over Move for Midfielder

West Ham United was dealt a blow when Jesse Lingard chose a move to Nottingham Forest over them last week. However, the Hammers are looking to strengthen their attacking midfield options with a potential move for Napoli’s Piotr Zieliński.

According to Sky Sports:

"West Ham remain in talks with Napoli over the signing of Piotr Zielinski.There has been no official bid for the player, but initial discussions have highlighted a gap between what West Ham are prepared to pay and what Napoli want.Napoli are thought to value the Poland international at more than €40m and West Ham are now deciding whether to get closer to Napoli’s valuation."

West Ham Has been Busy With Transfers Recently

They have been ambitious in this transfer window and the club has also been linked with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic.

A boost came yesterday when it was officially announced that Gianluca Scamacca had joined David Moyes’ side from Sassuolo. The club produced a fun interview with James Richardson on their YouTube channel to welcome the forward in the style of Channel Four’s 90s TV hit Football Italia.

The Hammers’ business with Italian sides may not be over with talks of Zielinski ongoing. However, Napoli who are in the Champions League having finished third in Serie A last season may be reluctant to let one of their star players go. The estimated price they want for him shows how much they value him.

What Would Zielinski Bring to West Ham?

The midfielder scored six goals and got five assists in 35 appearances for Napoli in the league last season. He also scored twice in seven Europa League games.

The Poland international has played his entire career in Italy so a move to the Premier League with West Ham may be tempting for him as he is now 28.

Zielinski started his career at Udinese where he made 20 appearances for the club and enjoyed a two-year loan spell at Empoli. Here he scored five goals and completed seven assist in 66 appearances.

His form at Empoli got him a move to Napoli which he joined in 2016. In total Zielinski made 281 appearances for the Naples side scoring 40 goals with 33 assists. He won the Copa Italia with the side in 2020.

Will the Player Make the Move to West Ham?

Zielinski has been in Italy since he was 17 so it would be emotional for the player to leave the place he has called home for so long. In footballing terms, it will be seen as a step down from a European perspective. Leaving a Champions League side to play in the Europa Conference with West Ham is something not many players would do.

He has however played in the Champions League before with Napoli where in total he has 25 appearances in the competition. It would be a great experience to play in the Premier League and he may feel he has already ticked off playing in European football’s most prestigious tournament off his list of career ambitions.

The Premier League is the best league in the World and to play in the division is an ambition for many players. However, for Zielinski, if he is to move to West Ham it would come at a cost of sacrificing playing at a higher level of European football.