West Ham United had a wonderful season under Slaven Bilic and courtesy to Manchester United’s FA cup victory, the London side have qualified for next season’s UEFA Europa League and will enter the competition in the third qualifying round, with the first leg scheduled to take place on July 28 and the second leg a week later on August 4.
The side didn’t have a finish they hoped for in the Premier League, but the will be playing European football at their new Olympic Stadium from the next season. The preparations will surely get underway after the Euro 2016 and Bilic will be looking to get some fresh faces into the squad in order to prevent fatigue as we all are aware of the fact that the English league’s schedule gets congested at a moment of time.
Bilic has made the Hammers like never before and the players as well as the fans are all set to host the big European nights. Recently, West Ham United’s co-chairman David Sullivan has revealed that the side is ready to spend up to £30m on a “top striker” this summer and it seems like, the manager has set his eyes on the Belgian center forward Michy Batshuayi who is reportedly ready to leave France after the Euros.
Besides that, according to the French media, the club is willing to sign Lyon’s winger Rachid Ghezzal as he has turned down a new deal offered by the French side. Ghezzal is an Algerian international who plays as a winger for Lyon and is in the final year of his contract with the side. With Europa League’s fixtures are on the cards, Bilic should take this speculation seriously, and the signing might prove to be an important one.
Ghezzal’s preferred position is the right wing, and the Hammers already use Michail Antonio for that. Bilic used Manuel Lanzini in most of his game as a winger, but the Argentine international provides his creativity when played in a central zone. Signing Ghezzal will provide Hammers the much needed depth and due to his versatility, he can operate the game from both the flanks.
Ghezzal had a wonderful season with the French side where he managed to score 8 goals in Ligue 1 and created 46 chances in which 8 were converted into goals. The Algerian is an old school winger who loves to squeeze through the touch line and loves to deliver some deadly crosses. Besides his great vision, he is capable of sprinting through the defenders with his fiery pace and sometimes loves to cut inside the half to take a long range effort.
Rachid Ghezzal is one masterpiece while taking a set piece. West Ham does have Payet for the that, but a second option is never a bad business. Without any doubt, Bilic’s first priority will be signing a center forward, who can score 15-20 goals in a campaign. But signing Ghezzal will add creativity as well as quality in the side that would help them in the near future.