In a recent report, The Mirror revealed that West Ham United are eyeing a move for Bayer 04 Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick. It has been mentioned that the Hammers have identified the Czech Republic international as a target for the January transfer window.
Schick’s Excellent Goal-Scoring Record At The BayArena
Schick is having a brilliant campaign in German football as he has scored goals at a high rate while spearheading the Leverkusen attack. The Praha-born talent has banged in 16 goals and secured three assists in 18 matches for the German club this season on all fronts.
The 25-year-old has led the line well in the final third based on his average of 3.2 shots and 0.6 key passes per game in the Bundesliga. However, he has been untidy when distributing possession in the opponent’s half as evidenced by his pass success rate of 68.1% in league football (stats via whoscored).
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Is Schick The Right Choice For West Ham United?
Standing at 1.91m, Schick can use his strong frame to dominate the opposition centre-backs in the air and can hold the ball up to get his teammates involved in the attacking end of the field.
The 33-time Czech Republic international is proficient at getting a few shots in on-target and has proven himself to be a composed finisher in front of the opposition goal. Schick is primarily a centre-forward but can also fill in as a right-sided winger if needed. However, he needs to work on improving his link-up play if he wants to be a success story in Premier League football.
At 25, Schick’s best years are ahead of him, so West Ham can expect him to make an instant impact in England. The former Sparta Prague talent could serve as decent cover for Michail Antonio and is even good enough to rival the English forward for a regular starting place at the London Stadium in the coming seasons.
Schick could even help the Hammers maintain their push for a top-four finish in the Premier League. Thus, David Moyes would be wise to engineer a move to bring him to the English capital when the transfer window reopens at the start of next year.
