Green Street Hammers
Fansided

Kovac wants reunion with West Ham’s Haller

By Henry Tomlinson

Newly appointed coach of French L1 football club, Croatia's Niko Kovac gives a press conference during his official presentation, on July 21, 2020 in Monaco. (Photo by YANN COATSALIOU / AFP) (Photo by YANN COATSALIOU/AFP via Getty Images)
Newly appointed coach of French L1 football club, Croatia's Niko Kovac gives a press conference during his official presentation, on July 21, 2020 in Monaco. (Photo by YANN COATSALIOU / AFP) (Photo by YANN COATSALIOU/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

New Monaco manager Niko Kovac is interested in signing his former player Sebastien Haller from West Ham this summer.

Niko Kovac used to manage West Ham’s Sebastien Haller during his time at German side Eintracht Frankfurt. They both had success and made their names, winning the German Cup in the process. Since then both have left Frankfurt for moves that have not quite worked out. Kovac moved to Bayern Munich and despite winning the league was sacked as manager.

Haller, on the other hand, had moved to West Ham for a fee of £45 million pounds. The move, however, is yet to be called a success. Haller has scored just seven and assisted two goals for the Hammers in the Premier League. This is far below what was expected from a marquee striker that cost £45 million.

The French striker has struggled for many reasons in London. Some of the factors are the change of manager and constant tactical changes that come from a team fighting relegation. Haller has often been played as a lone striker, a tactic that does not suit him.

Haller flourishes being deployed with runners near him that he can link-up with. This was evident from his performances in Germany where he was playing alongside Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic. This Haller has only briefly been seen in a West Ham shirt.

Frankfurt’s Croatian head coach Niko Kovac reacts after his players soak him in beer at the press conference after the German Cup DFB Pokal final football match FC Bayern Munich vs Eintracht Frankfurt at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on May 19, 2018. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: ACCORDING TO DFB RULES IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO IS NOT ALLOWED DURING MATCH TIME. MOBILE (MMS) USE IS NOT ALLOWED DURING AND FOR FURTHER TWO HOURS AFTER THE MATCH. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE == FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DFB DIRECTLY AT +49 69 67880 / (Photo credit should read TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Frankfurt’s Croatian head coach Niko Kovac reacts after his players soak him in beer at the press conference after the German Cup DFB Pokal final football match FC Bayern Munich vs Eintracht Frankfurt at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on May 19, 2018. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: ACCORDING TO DFB RULES IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO IS NOT ALLOWED DURING MATCH TIME. MOBILE (MMS) USE IS NOT ALLOWED DURING AND FOR FURTHER TWO HOURS AFTER THE MATCH. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE == FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DFB DIRECTLY AT +49 69 67880 / (Photo credit should read TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images) /

Haller’s best games for West Ham has been when Michail Antonio has been playing as a second striker. This combination of Haller’s ariel skill and Antonio’s power was the main reason behind the Hammers 3-1 win over Southampton before lockdown.

After lockdown, David Moyes has favoured playing Antonio as a lone striker to devasting effectiveness. The 30-year-old scored eight goals in seven games in July which secured the Hammers Premier League status. But this success has also undermined the potential importance of Haller.

Next. West Ham chasing Manchester United right-back. dark

Should West Ham receive an enticing offer from Monaco’s Kovac for the 26-year-old it is likely it would be entertained. Especially if it was enough to recoup their original investment, it would not be surprising to see Haller move on.

Home/Transfer Rumors