What’s next for West Ham United in the transfer market? Two words – Alex Kral! As the Hammers head into Europa League, this would be the perfect fit.
With the physical side of football behind us for the summer, West Ham now digs into the transfer market and prepares for the Europa League and defending their top-six spot in the EPL. The fact they finished in the top six may be disappointing to some, but it’s an absolute accomplishment when you look back at how they ended the 2019/20 campaign.
The Hammers are guaranteed a handful of matches due to the Europa League group stages, but they should get a few more follow on matches, depending on where they are sitting. What that means is that they need depth. Much MORE depth than they currently have because even though they finished on a high note, they came limping with little to nothing left.
Insert Alex Kral. The 23-year-old midfielder who, you guessed it, also hails from the Czech Republic. Kral is compared to the likes of N’Golo Kante, Thiago, and Paul Pogba, according to fbref.com. Coming from the Russian Premier League to the EPL would be a step, but we’ve seen it before and with the likes of two other Czech-born players now tearing it up for West Ham.
Should West Ham pursue Alex Kral? Yes, yes, they should!
Wouldn’t it be a joy to add another “Czech mate” to the squad in hopes that the club releases his introduction video, joining Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal for a game of chess? Kral compares well with Soucek, as they are both box-to-box midfielders that favor the defensive side of the pitch. He started in 28 matches this season for Spartak Moscow, which shows his stability as well.
Kral played just under 2,400 minutes this season, averaging 90 minutes per match on 26 occasions. The good news, he wouldn’t need to be that stretched for West Ham. Soucek and Declan Rice have the defensive midfield lockdown, but he would be the perfect late-game sub and a solid Cup and Europa starter. It’s been said before, and I’ll repeat it, West Ham needs depth!
The current rumors surrounding Alex Kral and West Ham state a few different things, but nothing has been solidified yet. Some say a personal fee has already been agreed on; others say that Andriy Yarmolenko will be sweetened to the deal to make the price less. With how the rumor season goes, we won’t know anything until the club shoots out the announcement video.
West Ham fans want passion, loyalty, and heart; the rest will take care of themselves. The defensive midfielder seems to have the same mentality as his Czech mates so that he would be a no-brainer and an easy fit in East London. Starting, super subbing, playing in the middle, or defense, it doesn’t matter. The sooner the signing, the better!