West Ham Opinion: Why Dyego Sousa will be a perfect fit for the Hammers?

West Ham did well to keep hold of Marko Arnautovic amidst concrete interest from China before persuading him to sign a new deal. Despite committing his future, the Austrian might still leave the London Stadium in the summer.

Should Arnautovic leave West Ham in the summer, it’ll leave a big hole in the squad. The Austrian has been a star for the club in the past 18 months, offering regular goals and assists. The 29-year-old is a crucial cog of the team, even though he has started only one game since January.

Manuel Pellegrini should start plotting potential replacements for Arnautovic from now on. The West Ham boss could do a good job by signing SC Braga forward Dyego Sousa as a potential replacement for the Austrian.

Dyego Sousa, 29, has been in excellent form for Braga this season. He has netted 19 goals and assisted seven further in 34 games across all competitions. In fact, he has already bettered last season’s tally of just eight league goals, establishing himself as one of the deadliest strikers in Portugal.

The Portuguese centre-forward is a tall, strong and powerful centre-forward who excels in making runs in behind the defenders and finishing off moves. Sousa can hold the ball, link-up play well and stretch defences with his burst of pace. The 29-year-old uses his towering frame to deadly effect and he combines that with his brilliant heading ability to destroy the opposition.

Sousa would thrive in this West Ham team especially when playing in front of the likes of Felipe Anderson, Samir Nasri and Manuel Lanzini. The Portuguese’s movement in the final third and his intelligence on and off the ball is an asset.

He is quite agile too, playing off the shoulder of the opposition’s centre-backs to beat the offside trap and make runs behind the backline. The former Maritimo man works very hard for his team and is a player that won’t be fazed by the Premier League’s physical aspect.

Verdict

To put things into perspective, Sousa would be an ideal signing for West Ham and Pellegrini can bag a coup by landing him this summer. Pellegrini should aim for a complete overhaul of his striking options this summer and Sousa, 29, would make a fantastic like-for-like Arnautovic replacement.

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Sousa still has plenty of years remaining in his prime, and that said, the Hammers should not hesitate to splash the cash on him.