The 23-year-old Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca looks set to sign for West Ham United in the coming days. He will sign for a set fee of around £30 million with £5 million in add-ons. With his value only increasing as he continues to prove his mettle, it looks like 'The Hammers' have got themselves a great deal.
His Strengths
The current Sassuolo striker comes in at a very large 6"5 frame, making him one of the tallest outfield players in the Premier League. His towering frame helps him win 56% of his aerial duels, which is quite good for a striker, and tops West Ham's current principal striker Michail Antonio by 20%. This could be very useful for the team, especially with West Ham's current ability to whip in corners and crosses.
Scamacca would also benefit if the club could sign Filip Kostic, who is one of the best crossers in the Bundesliga. Scamacca scored 16 goals in 25 starts last season for Sassuolo, which put him in fifth place for goals-per-ninety in Serie A last season.
He is also very clinical, as evidenced by his being among the top three strikers in the league last year for goal-per-shot. In addition, 46% of Scamacca's shots are on target, which is even better than one of the world's best, Erling Haaland.
Many may believe that with his tall frame he is like Sebastien Haller or even Andy Carroll, but this is in no way true. Scamacca likes to use his body to hold up the ball and make space.
He is an intelligent player with outstanding balance and maneuverability. He weaves in and out of defenders with ease. This bodes well for his future at West Ham and the Arnautović-esque player is a great move for the club.
His Weaknesses
There are always holes in a player's game. For Scamacca, the main one is his lack of creativity. Not getting a single assist last season does raise the question of whether he can provide value to a West Ham team where he will not be the only goalscorer.
For example, his shot-creation-per-ninety is just 2.2. This is quite average and would place him seventh in last year’s West Ham squad, just above Yarmolenko, and quite far behind all the other starting forwards.
Although he could do more when providing for his team, Moyes could look to play him as the target man to maximize the impact of his presence on the pitch.
Here's a tweet hinting at the striker's reliability:
The Fit
We'll have to wait and see whether the Italian starts straight away, especially if he does not play pre-season. Normally, West Ham play a sort of 4-2-3-1 formation with Antonio as the forward.
There are problems with this system, one of them being how Antonio does not play centrally at all, which results in the creation of gaps in the enemy box. These gaps could, if the Italian plays, be reduced drastically. His heatmap shows him primarily operating in central areas.
He could also fit in nicely at the top of a 4-2-3-1 formation with the likes of Bowen and Benrahma behind him:
Despite mainly playing with a lone striker, there are strong arguments for the Hammers to play a 4-4-2, utilizing both Antonio and Scamacca.
Antonio could play mainly as a sort of left forward who carries the ball up the pitch and holds up the play. But Scamacca, with his good dribbling, could become the main shooter on the team.
With West Ham's already strong crossing ability due to the likes of Cresswell, Fornals and Kostic (if he signs), Gianluca could become unstoppable in the box given his aerial prowess.
Overall, the Italian will be a threat when receiving the ball in areas where he can skip past players and score. His pairing with Antonio could result in a lethal offense for 'The Hammers.'
Gianluca Scamacca Conclusion
Overall, the Italian should fit in well with West Ham. He'd propel their chances of winning the Europa League enormously. For a 23-year-old, the potential is there and his value will probably rise, making the £30m look like a bargain.