New West Ham signing Gianluca Scamacca is BETTER than Vlahovic
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 26 Jul 2022 17:25 BST
- 3 min read
West Ham United enjoyed an impressive Premier League season in 2021-22 before ultimately falling short in the final months, and they look set to come back better than before for the new term as they close a deal for Gianluca Scamacca.
Scamacca, 23, is one of Italy's hottest properties after enjoying a breakout season last term in Serie A.
His 16 goals for Sassuolo proved key in ensuring the club a comfortable mid-table finish and earned him sixth place in the division's top scorer charts, behind the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Ciro Immobile and Lautaro Martinez.
Vlahovic was the man of the moment after a stunning start to the season with Fiorentina, and he kept up the pace following his €80 million transfer to Juventus by scoring eight goals in 20 games in all competitions.
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In Scamacca, though, West Ham are gaining a player could prove just as decisive as the new Juve star, according to Guido Angelozzi, the former technical director of Sassuolo.
“I brought him to Sassuolo when he was just a kid. For me he is a top striker, he is no less than Vlahovic,” he told Tuttomercatoweb.
“He scored 16 goals in a short time; there are no other such strikers in Europe.
“He already left Italy once, going to Holland when he was very young, then we were good at Sassuolo in bringing him back to Italy.
“He will cost a lot. He will be the future centre forward of the national team.”
Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and PSG were also credited with an interest in the 23-year-old, who will cost West Ham around €42m and who flew into London on Monday ahead of a medical with the club.
Scamacca vs Vlahovic
Data analytics experts SciSports support Angelozzi’s claims that Scamacca can be the equal of Vlahovic.
Among the 62 centre forwards who played in Serie A last season, they rank Scamacca has having had the ninth-best overall performance – three spots ahead of the much-vaunted Vlahovic, who is one year his junior.
Ranking among Serie A's 64 strikers (2021/22)
| Scamacca | Vlahovic | |
|---|---|---|
| Finishing | 4 | 32 |
| Ball retention | 22 | 47 |
| Offensive positioning | 13 | 7 |
| Passing | 44 | 32 |
| Crossing | 46 | 39 |
| Dribbling | 39 | 55 |
| Overall | 9 | 12 |
In particular, Scamacca excelled in finishing. He was seen as the fourth-best in the league, which compares favourably to Vlahovic, who finished in the middle of the pack in 32nd in this regard. He also outperformed the Serb in ball retention and offensive positioning but was notably weaker in terms of his passing and crossing.
West Ham have landed a rare gem, then, and Scamacca's goals and overall excellence may just help the Hammers go one step further and challenge for Champions League qualification over the coming 12 months.
Read more about: Serie A, Premier League, Arsenal, Fiorentina, Juventus, Sassuolo, West Ham United, Dušan Vlahović, Gianluca Scamacca
