West Ham Opinion: Hammers should beat Inter Milan to sign David Okereke
According to reports from Italian news outlet Tuttomercatoweb, West Ham are keeping close tabs on Nigerian youngster David Okereke, who currently plies his trade in the Serie B with Spezia.
Tuttomercatoweb understands that Inter Milan are also interested in signing the 21-year-old Nigerian youth international, who has been in terrific form in the Italian second division this season.
West Ham have been sending their scouts to watch the talented youngster for quite some time now and the East Londoners are likely to firm up their interest ahead of the summer transfer window.
This is not the first time though, that Okereke has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with the Tuttomercatoweb reporting back in January that Crystal Palace were interested in the 21-year-old forward.
Okereke has been making the headlines this season in the Serie B for his prolific form and has propelled Spezia to the promotion-playoffs single-handedly.
The Nigerian U23 international has racked up an awe-inspiring tally of 10 goals and 12 assists from 30 league appearances for Spezia this term, with his terrific run of form putting him on the radar of some of the bigger sides in the Serie A, including Inter Milan.
The 21-year-old rose through the youth ranks at Spezia and made his first-team debut back in 2016, although he didn’t hit top gear in his first couple of seasons at the senior level. Okereke was loaned out to Serie C outfit Cosenza last season where he helped the club secure promotion to the Serie B, which prompted Spezia to give him another crack of the whip this time around. And the Nigerian starlet has caught everyone by surprise, leading the scoring charts to propel the club to a playoff spot.
The Lagos-born striker is capable of playing on either side of the forward line and also as the leader of the pack as a centre-forward. The right-footed attacker has earned rave reviews for his pace, power and dribbling skills, which enable him to cut inside from the flanks and fire accurate shots on goal.
While he has the pace to burn, Okereke has also impressed with his work-rate, awareness and mobility as a striker. Noted for his aggressive nature as a striker, he looks to get a shot away as soon as he brings the ball under control but he has also shown the awareness to pick out his teammates and create chances with slick passes in the final third.
The Nigerian uses his pace and power to terrorise defenders, and that combined with his aerial ability, make him a dangerous presence in the attacking third. Furthermore, he is capable of taking his chances from outside the box, owing to his ability to shoot from distance.
To put things into perspective, West Ham have every reason to look at David Okereke as a good long-term investment. The Hammers have made a bad habit of signing aged players in recent times solely based on reputation and it is high time for them to bring a few talented youngsters to the club.
The likes of Carroll, Arnautovic, Hernandez, Carlos Sanchez, Yarmolenko, Winston Reid, Zabaleta, Fabianski and Lucas Perez are all level or on the wrong side of the 30-year mark, meaning that the Hammers need to reduce the average age of the squad.
Okereke would probably go into the youth ranks at West Ham should a move materialize, although he might be in the reckoning for a role in the first-team provided he manages to impress manager Manuel Pellegrini during the pre-season tours. The Hammers have some promising young attackers like Xande Silva and Grady Diangana, and David Okereke would be another fine addition to bolster the depth of the squad.
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The Nigerian has shown strong signs of excellence early in his career and West Ham could have a gem in their hands should he live up to his potential in the days to come.
