West Ham United are favourites to sign Dusan Tadic from Southampton. The Serbian international hasn’t had a great season for the Saints but he has proved time and again that he can be very dangerous for the team. The playmaker has netted on three occasions and assisted eight goals for the Saints but this season has been a little out of the box for Tadic, who generally has been consistent.
He arrived at the St Mary’s from FC Twente in 2014 and went on to be a vital part of Ronald Koeman’s squad. But after the arrival of Claude Puel this season his game time has been reduced enormously and the player has shown his frustration on a couple of times after being subbed off.
Tadic will welcome a move to the London Stadium as at this point of his career, it will be the right step in terms of his development. The player is now 28 and is at the peak of his form. He has a £13m release clause in his contract and the Hammers have the money to disburse in this transfer market.
Tadic looks to have made a substantial impact on the South Coast and will be a great ‘value for money buy’ for the Hammers. The departure of Dimitri Payet helped very little as his absence was adequately felt. Manuel Lanzini does have the qualities but he needs time to fill in his boots and be the talisman for West Ham.
Tadic will be an immediate replacement for Payet as he will add excellent technique and versatility to the team. Basically a left winger he can also play on either wing and can also be used in the no.10 position. He can create an acre of spaces in the attacking third and also has the ability to score goals apart from creating chances. Given his proven record for the Saints, he can be directly unleashed in the next season by Bilic.
However, Southampton will try to hold on to one of their prized assets. Claude Puel’s future is undecided and he might move as the season has come to an end. His departure might soften Tadic’s stance as the club hierarchy is very adamant to keep him for another season. West Ham are also considering Gylfi Sigurdsson but getting Tadic at this amount would be a bargain and Bilic doesn’t want to lose a chance to lure him this summer.
