West Ham could be on the verge of signing Patson Daka from RB Salzburg. With only Michail Antonio left to fill the striker role, where does Daka fit in?
For starters, don’t hold your breath as West Ham begin the 2021 summer transfer window. Whether it’s true or not, the Hammers will certainly be linked to a plethora of strikers (*checks note from the last window) from now until the window closes later this year. For now, let’s start with the rumor and how the 22-year-old could fit into Moyes’ system.
According to Salzburger Nachrichten, a media outlet in Salzburg, West Ham, and David Moyes have been linked with Daka since the beginning of the year. That same media site believes that he should be worth just around £17 million. RB Salzburg may play in a much smaller league than the EPL; however, they did play in the group stages of the Champions League last season.
In the UCL, they were in the “group of death” playing against Bayern and Atletico Madrid. In all European competitions (UCL, UCL qualifying, and Europa), Daka played eight matches, scoring twice and contributing assists three times. He certainly may come from a smaller team, but that team and he both equally have shared some pretty remarkable times on the world’s biggest stage.
West Ham: How Patson Daka could fit Hammers next season
The 22-year-old Zambian international played 28 times for Salzburg during their domestic league season, where he netted the ball 27 times and assisted his teammates four times. Much like the Hammer’s current and only striker, Daka has a blistering pace and can beat the defense in a blink of an eye.
As last season concluded for West Ham, that pace of Antonio is what helped change the course of a lot of matches. His pace linked up with the passing and skills of the boys surrounding him is what made all the difference. If you insert Daka into that same system, that will be exactly what you get. He may not hold Antonio’s strength, but the pace and skill are eerily close.
Getting Daka into the London Stadium would be a tasty treat for Hammer’s fans as they return next year. This “exceptional goal machine” is exactly what Moyes and Co need. The best part is that he doesn’t need to play all 90 minutes, and he doesn’t need to play week in and week out. His pace and youth are key in Moyes’ transfer plans, and they need to make this rumor a reality.