Hans Vanaken has been linked with a move to West Ham
According to HLN (h/t The Sun) West Ham United have made a £14m offer for Belgian international midfielder Hans Vanaken, who currently plies his trade with Club Brugge in his homeland.
The 28-year-old has previously attracted a lot of interest from clubs in Spain and Germany, and now West Ham have emerged as potential suitors for the towering playmaker. However, their initial bid has been knocked back by the Belgian outfit.
Hans Vanaken started his footballing education in PSV Eindhoven’s youth system before moving back to his native Belgium with Lommel United. He shot to prominence with Lommel in the Belgian second-tier before earning a move to top-flight outfit KSC Lokeren in 2013.
The attacking midfielder registered an impressive tally of 21 goals and 20 assists in 90 appearances for Lokeren across all competitions before switching to Club Brugge in 2015. Vanaken has since established himself as one of the best creative players in the Belgian top division while also proving his worth in the Champions League and Europa League.
Vanaken has plundered an astonishing 74 goals and 56 assists in 251 appearances for Club Brugge in all competitions. He is the first player since the legendary Jan Ceulemans to win back-to-back Belgian Golden Shoe awards.
West Ham have endured a frustrating summer window so far, with the Hammers yet to get deals over the line for any of their rumoured targets. David Moyes’ side have been repeatedly linked with a move for Burnley star James Tarkowski to bolster their defence after conceding 62 goals in the Premier League last season, but nothing has materialised so far.
Indeed, strengthening the backline should be top of the club’s transfer agenda before the deadline next month. That, however, doesn’t mean West Ham should pass up opportunities to add quality players further up the pitch.
The Hammers have often struggled to create enough goalscoring opportunities over the past 12 months, with high-profile creative players like Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini, and Felipe Anderson all failing to live up to the expectations.
Mark Noble has also shown signs of slowing down at 33, meaning that bringing in a new central midfielder would definitely make sense as far as West Ham are concerned. Hans Vanaken, to that end, fits the bill as a proven performer with a sparkling track record of goals and assists in his professional career.
The 28-year-old is yet to play professional football outside of his homeland but his consistently impressive displays in European competitions (8 goals and 3 assists in 44 matches), clearly prove that Vanaken is capable of thriving in a more competitive league.
A veteran of over 400 club career appearances, the Belgian not only oozes class and quality as a creative genius, but he also ticks the box as an experienced addition to West Ham’s ranks.
Hans Vanaken certainly deserves an opportunity to test his credentials in the Premier League after constantly hitting double figures in the goals column over the past seven seasons. The Belgian international certainly has the quality and the experience to have a transformative impact on West Ham’s fortunes.