West Ham are set to complete the signing of Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo for €36M plus €6m in bonuses and a 10% sell-on clause. The 23-year-old Italian striker will join the Hammers after agreeing personal terms with the club. Despite signing a contract extension with Sassuolo this summer, he is set for a move. The Italian international scored 16 goals in 36 Serie A games last season.
Scamacca will understudy and ultimately replace Michail Antonio who is getting old. The Jamaican scored only 10 goals and provided eight assists as the east London club finished 7th in the Premier League. His holdup play is still excellent, but David Moyes wants to freshen up his attack with some young blood.
Scamacca was a target for Juventus, AC Milan and PSG, but Les Parisiens have stalled on the deal and have signed Hugo Ekitike instead. AC Milan signed Divock Origi. West Ham have taken advantage of this situation to sign the former Genoa man. Scamacca combines power and great ball-striking with exquisite technique. He moves well for a 6ft3 man. He can holdup and linkup play with others around him. His powerful shot from distance reminds one of Harry Kane and Gabriel Batistuta, although he needs to pick his shots better.
Scamacca also needs to do better in and around the box. He is too reliant on his striking ability and should do more to get into the box to finish off moves. These are all issues Moyes can work on with the young striker. The basics of his play are quite good, there is a lot to be excited by!
Scamacca is quite the addition to Moyes’s side as they look to compete on multiple fronts. The Hammers went through the 2021/22 season without an out-and-out backup striker. They can’t do the same this season. West Ham will be in the Europa Conference League qualifiers after a Europa League run last season that ended at hands of winners Eintracht Frankfurt. They need more bodies and Scamacca is a quality body to add to the squad.
