West Ham United are heavily linked with highly-rated Galatasaray winger Bruma according to reports. After a poor start to the season, Slaven Bilic is looking to repair the damages in the second half of the season with some effective signings. However, the Hammers will have to fight with giants like Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham for his signature.
Bruma is a fleet-footed winger and it is no surprise that clubs are fighting to land him. West Ham are already reportedly willing to pay £8m to bring Bruma to the London Stadium, although Turkish giants Galatasaray are apparently holding out for closer to £17m. With Jose Mourinho also keen on bringing the Portuguese to Old Trafford, the Hammers will have to do up the bid.
Since Bruma scored a brace against United in the pre-season fixture, Mourinho has been an admirer of the player and United will be too strong a temptation to resist for Bruma.
The talented winger’s career was shortened early in 2014 when he tore an ACL ending his debut season in Turkish football and he didn’t return to action until the start of the 2014/15 season where he made 33 appearances in all competitions which included just 14 league starts, scoring three times and recording six assists. Last season, the Portuguese U21 international joined La Liga side Real Sociedad on a season-long loan where scored just twice in the 32 appearances.
But now with only two years left on his contract, the winger’s future is up in the air with several EPL outfits eager to sign the talented winger hoping he would get to the peak in the next few seasons.
Strengths
With his pace and ability to dribble past opponents, the Portuguese winger would be a lethal addition to any squad. There is that intent which West Ham United lack at the moment. His likeness towards short passes will help him link up well with Dmitri Payet. His sprint speed is supreme and West Ham could surely use that to score on the counter-attack.
Weaknesses
His short height could be a big stall his progress in the Premier league. He is not a big threat on air which is very much an essential in English football. He also needs to work on his finishing and pace alone won’t help him score every time. His low stamina will be a major problem in England where each club plays numerous matches.
Opportunity
West Ham have been very poor this season and are currently in the 17th position after the opening 11 games. Neither their forwards nor their defence have clicked this season and Bilic is desperate to bring an air of positivity to their new London Stadium. Bruma could be that.
Threats
Bruma has to compete with the likes of Dmitri Payet, Michail Antonio, Andre Ayew and Gokhan Tore for his first team position. This won’t be an easy job when they all return from injury.
