In a recent report, Citta Celeste has mentioned that West Ham United‘s January target and current Lazio keeper Thomas Strakosha is refusing to commit his future. It has been revealed that the Albanian custodian has less than 18 months remaining in his contract, which could open the door for the Hammers to secure his signature at the end of this season (via Citta Celeste).
Strakosha’s Limited Playing Time At The Stadio Olimpico
Strakosha has been a sporadic feature for Simone Inzaghi’s first-team but has struggled to keep things solid at the back this season. The Athens-born sensation has been involved in eight matches for the Rome-based outfit this term, shipping in 14 goals and earning one clean sheet in the process on all fronts.
However, the 25-year-old deserves some praise for averaging 0.7 clearances and 8.7 long balls per 90 minutes in Serie A. He has also been relatively tidy with his ball-distribution after making 79.7% of his attempted passes in the Italian top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Despite his lack of game time, Strakosha has shown signs of maturity with his performances in between the sticks for Lazio so far. However, his current contract situation means that the Italian club will have no choice but to consider selling him in the summer or else risk losing him for nothing when his deal runs out at the end of next season.
What Will The Albanian Custodian Bring To The London Stadium?
Strakosha has got excellent reflexes in his locker that help him make some world-class saves on the defensive end of the pitch. He is proficient at pulling off a few quick dives to deny the opposition a goal. The 14-time Albania international is a solid handler of the ball and can use his strong 1.93m frame to dominate his penalty box with authority when coming out to collect crosses. However, he needs to secure some clean sheets to get some confidence in his game after leaking in 14 goals in eight appearances thus far.
Should The Hammers Get Strakosha On Board This Summer?
David Moyes has currently got Łukasz Fabiański as his first-choice keeper at the London Stadium. Even though the Polish shot-stopper has played well for the Hammers of late, there is no hiding from the fact that he is about to turn 36 next month. Fabianski’s backup Darren Randolph is also entering the twilight years of his playing career.
Hence, the East London giants are in dire need to recruit a young keeper which makes Strakosha a decent option for them to consider this summer. If the Lazio goalkeeper is available for the right price, West Ham should think about getting him on board during the summer transfer period. At 25, Strakosha will only get better and has what it takes to be a regular starter in the Premier League in the coming seasons.