West Ham are in the market for a new striker, and Boulaye Dia has been linked to the club, the striker would be the perfect acquisition.
Sebastien Haller arrived at West Ham and despite some good moments was found wanting on too many occasions. These issues led to the striker’s sale to Ajax, and the Hammers must not make the same mistake twice.
The club, like always, has been linked to what seems to be every striker in Europe in their hunt for a new forward. Players like Patson Daka, Olivier Giroud, Eddie Nketiah, Graziano Pelle, Marko Arnautovic and Arkadiusz Milik are just some of the names that are of interest of West Ham.
Links to Boulaye Dia, however, may have come out of nowhere, and fans might not have been aware of the striker. Dia, however, is a top player and would be the perfect signing for David Moyes’ team and style of play.
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Similar Style
One of the main issues with Haller was his inability to fit into the Hammer’s play style. Moyes has developed a style of play around Michial Antonio which requires pace, power and a hard-working ethic. Dia plays a similar role for Stade de Reims.
The French side rarely have over 50% possession, just like the Hammers. Dia would easily slot into Moyes’ system without needing to adapt his game too much. This means that Moyes would be able to stick with his favoured play style if Antonio is not available to play.
The Senegalese striker, like Antonio, defends from the front, helping solidify the team. Dia has made more tackles per ninety minutes than the hammer – 0.5 vs 0.4. Dia has also made more interceptions and clearances than Antonio.
So it would make sense for Moyes to target a striker to support Antonio in the squad that has a very similar play style. Dia has proved that he is more than capable of performing this role in Ligue 1. The only question would be if the Riems striker can carry this into the Premier League.