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Irish Hammer 1:40 Thu Sep 2
Alex Kral writeup
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I know we all know we’ve signed this guy but thought this was a decent write up.
West Ham sign Alex Kral on loan from Spartak Moscow.
West Ham United have signed Alex Kral on a season-long loan from Spartak Moscow.
The 23-year-old joins with a view to making the move permanent at the end of the season and will join his compatriots and former Slavia Prague team-mates Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal at the London Stadium.
Kral has been capped 22 times for the Czech Republic and made four appearances at this summer's European Championship. The defensive midfielder is West Ham's fourth summer signing following the arrivals of Kurt Zouma, Alphonse Areola and Nikola Vlasic.
“I am delighted to welcome Alex to West Ham United,” Moyes told whufc.com. “He will provide good competition in the centre of midfield. He is another young, talented player who we feel has a big potential and will be capable of adapting to the demands of the Premier League.
“We've brought him in on loan initially and, hopefully, over the course of the season he will make a valuable contribution, particularly with our busier schedule of fixtures.
“Alex is another established international player with the Czech Republic, and we hope he has similar characteristics and hunger to that of Tomas and Vladimir.”
Where does he fit in at West Ham?
Kral will provide competition to Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Mark Noble and Manuel Lanzini. It is likely Kral will be the third option in midfield with his game time likely to be in cup games and in the Europa League.
Kral isn't known for his goalscoring ability having only registered one league goal in the last five seasons.
But West Ham have signed an experienced midfielder who has a good reputation for being solid defensively.
How much of a boost is this for David Moyes?
Kral's arrival means promising young midfielder Conor Coventry was given the green light to join Peterborough United on a season-long loan.
Moyes has stated on numerous occasions he only wants to sign players who will improve his squad.
Since returning to the helm in December 2019, West Ham's recruitment has markedly improved following the additions of Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma, Coufal, Soucek and Craig Dawson.
Moyes said: "Kral is another young, talented player who we feel has a big potential and will be capable of adapting to the demands of the Premier League.
"Alex is another established international player with the Czech Republic, and we hope he has similar characteristics and hunger to that of Tomas and Vladimir.”
Has this been a successful window for West Ham?
One could argue this has been West Ham's best window for quite some time. The addition of Areola on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain means Lukasz Fabianski faces a challenge for his No. 1 jersey.
Dawson's form has dipped and will most likely lose his place in the side to accommodate the arrival of Zouma — while Vlasic will bolster Moyes' attacking options.
It was hugely important for West Ham to improve their squad depth ahead of their Europa League campaign and they have certainly done so.
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
WestHamClaretAndBlue
6:51 Sat Sep 4
Re: Kral
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I don't think he gets in ahead of Tommy or Rice, from what I saw at the Euros, but it's a good signing as that area of the pitch was our 2nd weakest spot in terms of coverage, as the options from the bench are an injury past it stricked Lanzini, and as much as I respect him, an aged Noble who at the level we are aiming just isn't the answer.
Our weak link is obviously coverage for Antonio. Staggered we got absolutely no cover in as Yarmo is absolute toilet up top for us. Would rather it be Bowen who plays there as and when the time comes for cover. Stunned we didn't get at least 1 striker in though.
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Mex Martillo
7:40 Fri Sep 3
Re: Untitled
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I fear that if this guy is good, it will open the door for Rice to leave as we have a replacement.
Thanks Irish
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gph
6:32 Thu Sep 2
Re: Untitled
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Top modding.
I hope there's a gold star for this ;-)
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gph
3:43 Thu Sep 2
Re: Untitled
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Sort this out, mods! Stick Kral on the top.
Irish has an eye for a good article, and this shouldn't go to waste.
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Irish Hammer
1:41 Thu Sep 2
Re: Untitled
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Apologies for the missing title. Still traumatised over conceding in the 89th and 96th minute away to Portugal
😢
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