BENEVENTO, ITALY - NOVEMBER 07: M'Bala Nzola of Spezia Calcio during the Serie A match between Benevento Calcio and Spezia Calcio at Stadio Ciro Vigorito on November 07, 2020 in Benevento, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
According to a report from Tuttomercato (h/t Birmingham Live) back in November, West Ham have been mentioned among the potential suitors for Spezia striker M’Bala Nzola heading into the January window. The player’s agent has also confirmed interest from other Premier League clubs Wolves and Newcastle United.
Born in France to parents of Angolan descent, M’Bala Nzola started his footballing education at hometown club Troyes AC before moving to Portugal with Academica. However, he made only a couple of appearances before rising to prominence with Sertanense in the lower divisions. Nzola subsequently featured for Virtus Francavilla, Carpi and Trapani in Italy.
The striker was snapped up on loan by Spezia in January 2020 and went on to play a key role in their promotion to the top-flight, scoring 6 times in 17 appearances in Serie B.
Despite Spezia’s lacklustre start to life in the Serie A this term, Nzola has made a massive impression. A tally of 7 goals and an assist in just 10 league appearances has been enough to put several Premier League clubs on red alert.
Michail Antonio started the campaign as West Ham’s first-choice centre-forward after scoring some crucial goals following last season’s restart in June to guide the club to safety in the Premier League. The former Nottingham Forest star made a positive start to 2020-21 with 3 goals in 7 league fixtures for the Hammers, having bagged 10 goals from just 24 outings last term.
However, Antonio’s injury has forced David Moyes to reinstate Sebastian Haller in the No.9 role over the past couple of months. Haller has shown glimpses of his quality but hasn’t been able to translate that into goals on a consistent basis. He has managed to find the net only three times in 15 PL appearances so far this season, failing to fill the void left by Antonio’s absence.
Hence, West Ham should consider bolstering their attack with another out-and-out centre-forward in January and M’Bala Nzola looks like a handy option for the club. The Frenchman has emerged as one of the surprise packages in the Serie A this season after spending most of his career in the lower divisions.
The 24-year-old is going through a purple patch at the moment and would offer West Ham more depth and variety up top were they to consider him in the winter market. Despite his lack of top-level experience, Nzola has thrived in the Serie A this season. Having said that, the Hammers could have a gem on their hands if he manages to make an instant impact in English football as he has done with such aplomb in Italy.
West Ham need more firepower in their striking department to enhance their hopes of securing a top-ten finish at the end of the season. Haller clearly hasn’t done enough and with Antonio yet to recover from his injury, M’Bala Nzola could be a real asset for the club during a hectic second half of the campaign.
The Frenchman still has plenty of room for development at 24, thus making him more than worth a punt for the Hammers.