World Cup winner Mario Gotze can be David Moyes’ new trophy piece in midfield if the Scot turns attentions to the German after Club Brugge captain Hans Vanaken snubbed a potential move to West Ham United.
What’s the word?
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, via Sport Witness, West Ham have been unsuccessful in their efforts to lure Vanaken to the Premier League after seeing a bid worth in excess of €15million (£13.5m) turned down.
Brugge felt the sum tabled was insufficient to match Vanaken’s value to the Jupiler Pro League champions, while the limited time remaining in the summer window would have made finding a replacement challenging, with the Belgian’s having no immediate option currently in the squad.
But the Irons would have stood to miss out on Vanaken regardless of Brugge’s stance, as the 28-year-old has no intentions of moving to east London and would have snubbed the chance to play alongside the likes of Pablo Fornals and Tomas Soucek.
Moyes had identified Vanaken as his “dream” option to bolster the creative side of his midfield, as the five-cap Belgium international twice voted Belgian Footballer of the Year boasts an insane record of scoring 10 or more times in a campaign for the last seven seasons.
Attention must now turn elsewhere if West Ham are to sign a creative midfielder this summer, with former Borussia Dortmund ace Gotze one potential avenue the Irons can explore following his release.
Moyes’ new trophy piece
Gotze departed Dortmund at the end of last season at the expiration of his contract and remains a free agent having yet to sign for a new side.
Hertha Berlin are said to be lining up the 28-year-old as a late window addition to Bruno Labbadia’s side, with Sport Bild reporting that BSC Sporting Director Arne Friedrich and General Manager Michael Preetz are assessing the viability of a move for the £9.45m-rated creator.
Labbadia has previously stated he is a “big Gotze fan” while Friedrich recently confirmed Hertha’s interest, noting: “Of course that’s a name that we were concerned with.”
West Ham, therefore, would have a slim window to snatch Gotze and bring the 2014 World Cup winner to England, in a deal that would add a true trophy piece to Moyes’ plans despite departing Dortmund following a campaign of scarce appearances.
Lucien Favre only awarded Gotze starting roles in five of his 15 Bundesliga appearances, for an average of 35 minutes per game in 2019/20, yet the five-time Bundesliga champion still achieved an average of 24.7 touches, 15.3 accurate passes, 0.7 key balls and 1.6 duels won, whilst creating three big chances for teammates to score and getting three goals himself, per SofaScore.
Scale those numbers up as a regular starter, and Gotze would be creating chances left, right and centre for the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller to score. Or even from the bench, the German would offer a vastly talented option to rest Fornals and co.
AND in other news, West Ham risk unsettling David Moyes’ plans with a move to sign a 39-cap player once signed for £47.5million.