Someone West Ham could use from every team out at the Euros
Group C:
Eliminated Team: North Macedonia
Eljif Elmas began his senior career at Fenerbahce in Turkey at the ripe age of 17. In his two seasons at the club, Elmas scored four times and played 29 matches. All four of those goals came from the penalty spot, so he could be a solid replacement for Mark Noble in the years to come. After two seasons in Turkey, Napoli became interested and bought the North Macedonian for £15m.
When Napoli bought him, he was only 19-years-old… £15m seems a bit steep, but Elmas was already a star in Turkey, so it makes sense. Running with the theme of this article, Elmas is natural in the midfield. He has racked up seven goals and two assists in Serie A over the past two years and showing nothing potential moving forward.
At the age of 21, he has found himself playing well in both a false nine position or as a box-to-box. Elijif played all three games in the Euros, but he and his country came up empty-handed after a historic run of games. If you’re looking for a comparison, imagine a less known and less groomed Ilkay Gundogan.
Honorable Mention: Ezgjan Alioski
Someone West Ham could use from every team out at the Euros
Group D:
Eliminated Team: Scotland
The 2020/21 season was David Turnbull’s first with Celtic after coming over from Motherwell. The 21-year-old and the rest of this club will be wanting to put last year behind them, but Turnbull still had a solid campaign. He scored nine times for Celtic and assisted seven goals, even notching one a piece in the Europa League.
West Ham needs some help in the Europa League department, and Turnbull has shown he can play. So far in his young career, he has basically had two breakout campaigns. This past season, and in 2018/19 when he scored 15 goals at the age of 19. David Moyes loves a busy player, and Turnbull is just that.
He is impossible to ignore on the pitch and is extremely active. The Scot international averaged 3.1 shots per 90 minutes and 3.7 chances created in the Scottish Premiership season. Compared to others in Europe’s top five leagues, the only two players with 2,000 plus minutes played to put up a higher combined number were Lionel Messi (8.1) and Kevin De Bruyne (7.2).
Honorable Mention: Billy Gilmour