In a recent report, Italian news outlet tvplay.it revealed that West Ham United have identified Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante as a target for the upcoming winter transfer window. It has been claimed that the Hammers will have to rival Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa in the race to land the Italian midfield ace next year.
Cristante’s Impressive Form In Italian Football
Cristante has been a dominant presence at the heart of Roma’s midfield this season and has done well to put in a few influential performances in Serie A. The 28-year-old has scored two goals and picked three assists in 16 matches for the Italian club during this campaign across multiple competitions.
The Italian sensation has been a decent performer in both halves as he is averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.8 clearances, 1.5 shots, 1.0 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per 90 minutes in Serie A. He has even been accurate when distributing possession from midfield after completing 83.2% of his attempted passes in the Italian top tier (stats via whoscored).
Cristante is under contract at the Italian club until the summer of 2027. Thus, it won’t be easy for West Ham to orchestrate a cut-price move for him in the January transfer window.
Should West Ham United Boss David Moyes Bring Cristante On Board?
Cristante is a solid tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to make a few timely interceptions for his side at the centre of the park. He doesn’t mind clearing the danger when the opposition are on the offensive and can also create some inviting opportunities for his teammates to score.
The Italian talent can shoot the ball purely from long range and is a good dribbler with the ball as well. He is primarily a defensive midfielder but can also play as a centre-back or as a box-to-box midfielder if told to do so.
We can expect Cristante to bring more bite and steel to West Ham‘s midfield. He will no doubt increase competition for places within David Moyes’ match-day squad. All in all, the Hammers should focus on going all out to bring the Italian on board this winter or at the end of this season.
