West Ham United have been closely linked with Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken all through the summer time switch window, and the Belgium worldwide may have been a massive upgrade on Manuel Lanzini in David Moyes’ squad.
The Hammers submitted a variety of bids for Vanaken, who was reportedly eager on a transfer to the London Stadium, however a deal couldn’t be completed earlier than the deadline, with the 30-year-old remaining at Club Brugge.
Lucas Paqueta as a substitute joined the Irons in a club-record deal from Lyon and the Brazilian may very well be a high quality addition if he continues his type from France into the Premier League, having contributed nine goals and six assists final season.
However, the arrival of Vanaken may have paved the way for Lanzini to go away the London Stadium, and it now appears as if the Argentine might be paid £70k per week to take a seat on the bench for a lot of the season, doubtlessly till his contract expires subsequent summer time.
Last season noticed Vanaken manage 11 targets and 9 assists in 39 league appearances for Club Brugge in incomes a 7.25 WhoScored score, whereas he additionally impressed for Belgium in World Cup qualifying.
He netted three goals and four assists in simply 5 appearances in that marketing campaign for his nationwide staff and earned a 7.91 WhoScored score, which emphasises his capacity to play on the high degree with world-class gamers resembling Kevin De Bruyne.
Who would have been higher for West Ham?
Vanaken
Lanzini
According to WhoScored, he excels at by balls, key passes, dribbling and passing, that are all fascinating attributes for an attacking midfielder. Also, at 6 foot 5 he can present a massive risk within the air, which has been a massive a part of West Ham’s success in latest campaigns, with 14 goals scored from set pieces final season.
Club Brugge supervisor Carl Hoefkens spoke about Vanaken’s affect amid West Ham’s curiosity throughout the summer time, saying: “Hans is an incredible player who has already done a lot for this club. He also has a big influence on our way of playing football.”
By comparability, Lanzini contributed simply 5 targets and three assists in 30 Premier League appearances for Moyes’ facet in 2021/22, averaging a disappointing 6.64 score from WhoScored.
Therefore, it’s a disgrace that West Ham couldn’t agree on a cope with the Belgian champions for Vanaken, as he may have been a significantly better slot in Moyes’ staff than the Argentine.
