In a recent report, L’Arena stated that West Ham United are showing interest in Hellas Verona playmaker Antonin Barak this summer. It has been mentioned that the Hammers could face competition in the form of Eintracht Frankfurt in the race to land the Czech Republic international during this summer transfer window (via L’Arena).
Barak’s Impressive Form In Verona
Barak experienced a fruitful season in Italian football as he managed to find some consistency with his performances for Verona in the attacking end of the pitch. The 26-year-old was involved in 36 matches for the Italian side in the previous campaign, finding the back of the net on seven occasions and picking up four assists in all competitions.
The Czech Republic attacker managed to contribute in a lot of little ways for his team after he averaged 0.9 tackles, 1.1 clearances, 1.3 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game in the 2020-21 Serie A season. He has even been accurate when distributing the ball in the final third based on his pass completion rate of 78.8% in the Italian first division (stats via whoscored).
Barak has established himself as a top performer at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. Hence, the Hammers will do well to lure him to the London Stadium before the start of the new campaign. At 26, the Czech Republic star’s best years are ahead of him, so David Moyes can expect him to make an immediate impact in English football.
Should The Hammers Move In For Barak This Summer?
Barak is an exciting dribbler with the ball at his feet and can create space for himself to get a few shots in on-target. He is a strong presence in the opposition half and enjoys engineering some inviting openings for others around him.
The 22-time Czech Republic international performed well to contribute by scoring and creating his fair share of goals from the number ten position. However, there are some question marks over whether he can cope with the high intensity of Premier League football.
Barak is good enough to rival Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma for a place in Moyes’ first-team and could serve as a decent false-nine forward when the West Ham boss decides to give Michail Antonio a rest. Therefore, the East London giants should think about moving in for the Hellas Verona star ahead of the new campaign as he will add a lot of quality to his match-day squad this summer.
