West Ham United are ‘pretty optimistic’ about their chances of signing Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Eintracht Frankfurt defender Filip Kostic, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The lowdown: West Ham eye double swoop
The Hammers have been extensively linked with a move for Zielinski in recent days as Rob Newman attempts to further strengthen the options available to David Moyes ahead of the new campaign. In fact, reports from Italy have claimed that the east Londoners are on the verge of striking a deal for the 28-year-old Poland international.
Meanwhile, the Irons face late competition from Inter Milan and Juventus for the capture of versatile 29-year-old left-back Kostic. Despite the issues potential issues in bringing the Serbian to the London Stadium, one well-informed insider has had his say on the current status of both transfers, delivering positive news…
The latest: ‘Pretty optimistic’
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones – a journalist for Eurosport – claimed that West Ham fancy their chances of adding both players to the ranks at Rush Green before the end of the transfer window.
He said: “[They’re] pretty optimistic about Zielinski and Kostic and the way that talks have gone so far. They think that if they can get these players through the door, then they’ve had a very positive summer.”
The verdict: Hopefully
Boasting a combined 821 club career outings and 120 international appearances, adding such a wealth of top-level experience to Moyes’ squad would be a sensational piece of business to top off what has already been an impressive transfer window until now.
With West Ham having lost Mark Noble to retirement and after deciding not to retain the services of loanee Alex Kral, the central midfield department in particular looks stretched with only Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and the Premier League-unproven duo of Flynn Downes and Conor Coventry in situ as genuine senior candidates.
Predominantly utilised in an advanced role in the centre of the park, Zielinski – who shares a close stylistic likeness to the likes of Martin Odegaard, Emil Forsberg and David Silva (FBRef) – scored eight times and provided five assists in 42 appearances across all competitions for Napoli last season.
That form, class and experience would make the Polish ace a superb prospective addition, whilst Kostic would also provide much-needed support for Aaron Cresswell, particularly as Arthur Masuaku appears to be on his way out of the London Stadium.
About the Author
