If you were to rank Sebastien Haller, Danny Ings, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio purely in terms of sheer technical quality, we cannot imagine that West Ham United’s long-serving number nine would make too many of podiums.
Football, however, is about more that pure ability. The fact remains that, while Haller flopped at the London Stadium, and while Ings and Scamacca threaten to go the same way, Antonio is still the centre-forward who suits David Moyes’ system better than anyone else at West Ham United.
The only problem is, and it’s quite a big one, Antonio turned 33 last month. And, with just three Premier League goals from 26 appearances this term, Antonio’s aching, ageing frame is no longer capable of carrying the Hammers attack on his shoulders alone.
Haller is long gone. Scamacca and Ings, while fabulous strikers in their own right, appear to lack the intensity and the off-the-ball effectiveness to successfully lead the line under coach who sees his striker not merely as the final line of attack but also first line of defence.
And, with Scamacca potentially in line for a quick return to Italian football, Moyes – presuming he is still at the helm come June – may once again find himself in the familiar position of scouring the market for a centre-forward more suited to his lone-striker system.
But, in M’Bala Nzola, have West Ham already found the long-wished-for solution to a seemingly never-ending problem? The readymade heir to Antonio’s throne?
Is M’bala Nzola West Ham’s new Michail Antonio?
“He is a player who has everything,” Nzola’s Angola coach Pedro Soares Goncalves tells Tuttomercatoweb; rattling off a number of attributes the Spezia talisman shares in common with Michail Antonio.
“He protects the ball like few others. He is very good at attacking in transition. Something has changed in terms of his mentality, he is improving more and more. Step by step he has become one of the best strikers of the moment.”.
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“He is a great player, absolutely on another level. Excellent.”
Only Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have more Serie A goals this season than Nzola’s 13. He is not merely a penalty-box poacher, but also the man who drags Spezia up the pitch. The man who turns defence into attack, and leads the line with a ferocity and ruthless ruggedness.
‘I see Didier Drogba in him’
“He is a fast striker, good at attacking the box and making the team play well,” adds Vincenzo Italiano, the now-Fiorentina boss who worked with Nzola at Spezia.
“I see (Didier) Drogba in him.”
The comparison which will interest West Ham fans, however, is not so much with Drogba but with a man who, even at 33 and after spending around £50 million on new strikers, remains the centre-forward best suited to thriving under Moyes at the London Stadium.
With his contract expiring in 2024, Tuttosport believe that Spezia could sell Nzola for just £5 million. West Ham, meanwhile, have an advantage over the likes of Crystal Palace. Owner David Sullivan reportedly has an excellent relationship with Nzola’s agent, who also counts Angelo Ogbonna among his array of clients.
West Ham’s record when it comes to signing strikers is famously rather dismal. But M’bala Nzola is surely too much of a square peg to fail in this square hole.
In other news, Tottenham flop Gedson Fernandes could return as Aston Villa eye £11m deal
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