Kasper Dolberg of Ajax during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and NEC Nijmegen at the Amsterdam Arena on November 20, 2016 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
According to the Calciomercato, West Ham and Southampton are interested in signing Ajax striker Kasper Dolberg next summer, with both Manuel Pellegrini and Ralph Hasenhuttl in the hunt for a natural goalscorer.
Dolberg, who was signed by Ajax from Danish club Silkeborg IF back in 2015, rose to prominence during the 2016-17 season where he scored a whopping 23 goals across all competitions to help his team reach the finals of the UEFA Europa League. The young Dane missed large quarters of the previous campaign due to injuries but he has once again rediscovered his goalscoring mojo, accumulating 9 goals from 16 appearances in the Eredivisie this term.
Dolberg is regarded as one of the most promising young strikers in Europe and the 21-year-old’s heroics at Ajax hasn’t eluded the eyes of the Premier League clubs.
Standing at 6ft.2 inches, Dolberg is known for his technical brilliance, pace, eye for goal and clinical finishing as a centre-forward. He is quite fast and agile for a player of his stature and while he is capable of bringing his teammates into play with his hold-up play, the youngster is equally adept at combining his pace and agility with his trickery to rip apart defences.
One of Dolberg’s main attributes is his subtle movement off the ball, which allows him to get in front of his marker inside the box to meet through balls and crosses.
To add to that, he is also known for his strength and aerial ability, often leaving the defenders for dead while running at them with his towering frame. Furthermore, Dolberg is a clinical finisher who is adept at putting away the chances that come his way, often relying on his fine technique and strong right foot to find the net with first-time finishes.
To put things into perspective, Dolberg would be a welcome signing for both the aforementioned Premier League clubs but West Ham can bag a massive coup if they can have the final say in this transfer saga.
The Hammers need a technically-gifted and prolific No.9 to spearhead the attack. Marko Arnautovic has committed his future to the club but the Austrian has often been forced to spend time on the treatment table due to recurrent injuries.
Javier Hernández has also struggled for fitness and consistency while Andy Carroll seems to have lost much of his sharpness owing to several long-term injuries over the years. To sum it up, all the three centre-forwards are way too injury-prone and near about the 30-year mark, something which can always be a risky proposition.
And that is exactly why a young and immensely talented striker like Kasper Dolberg fits the bill at the London Stadium. West Ham have one of the best squads outside the top six in the Premier League, with the Hammers boasting of players like Felipe Anderson, Arnautovic, Declan Rice, Lukasz Fabianski, Jack Wilshere, Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko in their ranks. However, injuries and inconsistencies haven’t allowed them to challenge the big guns in the Premier League on a regular basis.
An experienced manager like Manuel Pellegrini has the ability to bring the best out of the young players and Kasper Dolberg is definitely a player with massive potential. It is high time that West Ham start building a formidable squad for the future and Dolberg can be the perfect partner for Arnautovic up front. That said, they should go all out to land him next summer.