Gianluca Scamacca Gone

[Gary Strodders shank]

"Taking to Twitter, the Italy international wrote: “Dear West Ham. “While my time in London didn’t go the way I had planned, some of my greatest life moments were made here. And for that I’m forever grateful Thank you to the players and staff for making me feel so welcome, and the fans for their continued support. “I will continue to support this fantastic club from home in Italy, and will be keeping in close touch with the lifelong friends I have made whilst in England Thank you for everything, Ciao.”"

[ted fenton]

Apart from Sterling having been poorly of late Arsenal were ready to go last night yet we have a new striker that's not fit to play FFS !

[fraser]

"Fair enough he's had no pre season, but give him some minutes ffs, damage his confidence wtf.. Is Antonio even fit or is he one of those that Moyes isn't sharing about"

[Manuel]

"I really don't like what I'm hearing with Scamacca, one minute you're hearing he's got the lot and is Italy's best striker, to he needs time, not ready yet, etc. Fuck me your asking the bloke to play football, not perform open heart surgery on someone. Moyes irritates me."

[Keep dreaming]

"From Talksport: It’s going to be a while before West Ham fans see the best of him. There’s no way to put it lightly but West Ham are playing their toughest game of the season on Sunday (7 August) and it’s certainly not the best game for the striker to get up to speed in the Premier League, especially if he isn’t fit. Throwing a new signing in to face Manchester City could do his confidence no favours and would not be the ideal start for his West Ham career. What a load of bollocks. If Mancini had the option to play Scamacca or Antonio for Italy, I'm pretty sure Antonio wouldn't even be on the bench."

[1964]

Is he injured yet?

[scott_d]

"gph I noticed the long shots too but I personally thought that Scamacca's at least close. I've seen Antonio shoot from distance and hit the corner flag, and not from an acute angle."

[fraser]

gph - Nobody should encourage Antonio to shoot more from distance

[Dudley Moore]

Not fit for Sunday according to the old soak. You have to laugh really.

[gph]

"Two things worry me: ZERO assists last season. He shoots, and misses, from distance a lot more than Antonio. TBF, he's got a few goals from distance too. But maybe some of Antonio's would go in if he did it more often"

[Athletico Easthamico]

But Haaland missed an open goal so we dodged a bullet there.

[happygilmore]

"camel-with-3-humps 9:11 Fri Jul 29 Re: Gianluca Scamacca Signed Liverpool got NUNEZ, who right now, can't trap a bag of cement. We got Luca for half that price. His link-up play is superior. ---------------------------------------------------------- Hope you are right. Nunez looks pretty decent to me."

[LongTimeUser]

There's a photo of Kevin Keen on the OS. Looks like he's got tits.

[RBshorty]

Club just released a good video on YT about Scamacca's first day at West Ham . Worth a watch. BTW. He looks a unit.

[Side of Ham]

Fair do's southbank....it just don't sit right us out bidding them and then seemingly having more to spend on top! :-)

[southbankbornnbred]

"Side - the chances of that are slim to none, fella! That might look to some like a form of 'third party' deal and we have a little bit of negative history on that front... We beat them to the big fella. Their problem if he turns out to be a good acquisition."

[Peckham]

Just what we need up front. A much understated signing. Rocket of a right foot. He'll have no problems adapting to physical pace of Premiership. First season minimum of 10 goals is my optimistic opinion. COYIS

[Peckham]

Just what we need up front. A much understated signing. Rocket of a right foot. He'll have no problems adapting to physical pace of Premiership. First season minimum of 10 goals is my optimistic opinion. COYIS

[Lato]

Welcome Gianluca

[Side of Ham]

Is there a possibility that we've done a future side deal with PSG on this? I'll get even more paranoid if we get that Diallo....... :-)

[Nagel]

Thanks Alan

[Alan]

"Total Football Analysis Gianluca Scamacca: A lethal finisher who can give West Ham a new attacking dimension ‚Äì scout report By Karim Shahine Gianluca Scamacca has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at West Ham United, moving from Sassuolo in a deal worth around ¬£35million. The highly rated 23-year-old Italian striker became the fourth player to come through the door at the London Stadium this summer. Scamacca represents a huge statement signing for the Hammers after two and a half years without having a natural striker in their first-team squad. Michail Antonio has done a tremendous job since being given the number nine role under David Moyes, but he has had fitness issues in recent years due to being overused and has often gone on barren spells in front of goal. The forward has just undergone his second full season in Serie A, scoring 16 goals in 36 appearances (27 starts) last term, netting double the amount of goals he recorded for Genoa on loan in 2020/21. Since moving to Sassuolo in 2017, Scamacca has been sent out on four loan spells until he broke out with Genoa two seasons ago. Prior to that, the Italian had a torrid time in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven after leaving boyhood club AS Roma as a 16-year-old. Ultimately, his loan move to Ascoli in 2019/20 kickstarted the long-awaited emergence of Scamacca at senior level. 13 goals in just under 2,500 minutes in Italy‚Äôs second division was a healthy return for a young striker still learning to manage the jump in physicality from youth to senior level. ‚ÄúHe has everything it takes to become a complete centre-forward,‚Äù says Italy manager Roberto Mancini. After recent struggles in the transfer window in the forward department ‚Äì with players such as Andy Carroll, Andre Ayew, Javier ‚ÄòChicharito‚Äô Hernandez and Sebastien Haller not fulfilling expectations ‚Äì West Ham supporters will be hoping that Scamacca can quickly hit the ground running and lead the line at the London Stadium for the foreseeable future. This tactical analysis and scout report sheds light on Scamacca‚Äôs style of play and key attributes. The analysis highlights the reasons that led West Ham to invest in the young striker, how he can adapt to the team‚Äôs tactics and how he compares with Michail Antonio. Style of play Playing as a lone striker in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 during the 2021/22 campaign, Scamacca has netted an impressive 16 goals in 36 Serie A appearances and ascended into one of the most in-demand center-forwards in Italian football. The 23-year-old has been likened to Zlatan Ibrahimoviƒá in terms of physicality and stature, 195cm tall and weighing 85kg. Nicknamed ‚ÄúIl Bomber‚Äù, West Ham‚Äôs new number 7 has taken giant strides in his development in recent years and now looks capable of becoming a physically dominant force in the Premier League. Like Zlatan, especially when he was younger, Scamacca is capable of being a nuisance to defenders from anywhere in the final third. His 6‚Ä?5 frame gives him a unique physical and aerial threat, winning 51.85% of aerial duels and placing him in the 95th percentile among forwards in Europe‚Äôs top five leagues. Due to his size, the expectation is that Scamacca is simply a target man and whilst his duels won are in the 90th percentile among forwards in Europe‚Äôs top five leagues, his overall duels are below the median, due to him being utilised in a possession-based system at Sassuolo. Scamacca has a wide range of passing, he prefers to utilise his passing over carries. In his role, he‚Äôs namely a target man that anchors dynamic inverted wingers dropping to collect possession, but he also has the range to switch the play to the flanks. He averages 1.8 progressive passes per 90 compared to 0.78 progressive runs. Scamacca doesn‚Äôt confine himself to specific areas of the pitch, he likes move about, confusing his markers as well as creating space for the likes of Domenico Berardi to exploit the areas he vacates. Shooting-wise, he ranks in the 84th percentile for total shots taken and in the 93rd percentile for shots on target among forwards in Europe‚Äôs top five leagues, averaging 2.94 shots per 90. His influence and contributions to the build-up are emphasized below. He is positive in possession and has a direct impact on the likelihood of a shooting/scoring opportunity. Key strengths Scamacca‚Äôs main attributes are his strong aerial presence, solid balance and acceleration, link-up play and deadly finishing ability. His physique also means that he has superb chest control, enabling his team the option to play long balls in his direction, as he can make them stick, lift his head up and then provide lay-offs to supporting players. The 23-year-old‚Äôs hold-up play is a major problem for defenders. He gets his body in between opposition centre-backs and the ball and acts as a target man. He can also serve as the outlet during a fast counterattack. Scamacca drops deep to receive the ball after Sassuolo win back possession. Being put under pressure, he uses his strength and confidence on the ball to bully two defenders while maintaining his balance, causing the opposition players to collide with each other. Scamacca immediately scans the pitch for options to exploit the disorganization in the defence and supplies an outside of the foot through ball to the left wing. The move leads to a 3v3 situation with Berardi in acres of space at the far post A player with Scamacca‚Äôs size and height is obviously useful in set-pieces, both attacking and defensive. On the attack, he is very difficult to mark as he is physically strong and has smart movements in the box, in addition to his powerful and deadly heading ability. On the other end, he is utilized to cover the near post, hold his space and clear the ball away. Scamacca‚Äôs movement in the box is deadly and his headed goal vs Salernitana is a perfect example of how he creates space for himself. He positions himself between the two centre-backs as the play develops in the left channel. Scamacca directs his run towards the near post and drags the right-sided defender with him before swiftly shifting his run into the centre. Scamacca anticipates the cross and judges the flight of the delivery to place a towering header past the keeper. Scamacca has the ability to hit the target consistently & score in multiple ways making him a constant danger. Six of his goals have come from long range or via his head which highlights his versatility. To complement his range of aerial abilities, the 23-year-old is a superb ball striker. He releases his shots quickly, rarely requiring many touches of the ball to control it and create an optimal shooting angle. His thunderbolt against Milan was one of the goals of the season, with Maignan rooted to his spot Areas to improve Despite his goals from long range, Scamacca‚Äôs decision-making as to when to shoot needs some improvement as he tends to shoot from low % conversion spots and takes some rushed attempts without concentration. Scamacca shot map 2021/22 He is sometimes subject to inconsistent hold-up play, losing his footing or giving stray cut-backs with his back to goal. The centre-back plays a ball towards the middle of the pitch into Scamacca‚Äôs feet as the striker drops to receive. Attempting to play a simple lay-off (green arrow), he miscalculates the bounce of the ball and instead hits a heavy pass which reaches a Juventus player and puts the team under pressure. As ever in the modern game, attackers are now expected to do a lot more than just attack. They are also expected to do some of the dirty work going towards their own goal too, or even pressing their opponents to stop them from allowing ball progression into dangerous areas. Scamacca‚Äôs defensive contribution is limited and below the median among forwards. He averages 3.37 defensive duels, 1.84 interceptions, and 1.22 Padj interceptions per 90. This isn‚Äôt necessarily an indication of a poor defensive attitude but merely due to the tactical approach of Sassuolo. He currently ranks in the top 58th percentile for pressures per 90 (14.34), the top 35th percentile for tackles per 90 (0.88), and the top 50th percentile for interceptions per 90 (0.38). Overall, the striker is not reluctant to commit defensively and pressurize the opposition when the opportunity presents itself. However, he does have an aggressive style and is highlighted by his 1.66 fouls per 90. As the pass is played towards the middle, Scamacca quickly chases down the player with the ball but ends up committing a foul. A major area that Scamacca needs to work on in the coming seasons at West Ham is creating chances and assisting. He didn‚Äôt record a single assist in Serie A last season (16 goals, 0 assists) and is below average for metrics such as progressive carries, carries into the penalty area, shot-creating actions, and progressive passes among forwards in Europe‚Äôs top five leagues. He is not currently the type of forward who creates chances for his teammates. On another note, none of his goals during last season were scored with his left foot ‚Äì another dimension of his game which needs improvement so he does not become dubbed as predictable and one-footed. Scamacca vs Antonio Despite qualifying for Europe for the second consecutive season, West Ham suffered from a lack of squad depth. Michail Antonio was the club‚Äôs only senior striker and, even though he performed admirably, the Hammers were often predictable in their play. Antonio has done incredibly well for 18 months as the club‚Äôs only senior striker and played 47 games in all comps (3,912 minutes) last season ‚Äì double what he was able to play in 2019/20 and 2020/21 combined. A strong indicator of the need for a new striker to arrive at the club. Scamacca in Serie A 2021/22: Games: 36 Starts: 25 Sub appearances: 11 Goals: 16 Assists: 0 Antonio in PL 2021/22: Games: 36 Starts: 36 Sub appearances: 0 Goals: 10 Assists: 8 Scamacca heat map 2021/22 Antonio heat map 2021/22 Antonio edges Scamacca in offensive duels, dribbles and key passes per 90, as well as having a higher xG ‚Äì 13.14 to 11.48. The Jamaican international is more involved in the build-up as can be seen in the heat map. Antonio, previously a right-back and winger, likes to drift into wider areas and participate more in the creative areas of the pitch. Antonio‚Äôs 8 league assists compared to Scamacca‚Äôs 0 showcases the different types of players the two strikers are. Scamacca‚Äôs heat map demonstrates his profile as a target man and traditional no.9. He primarily holds the central space on the pitch & looks to consistently provide support on the right side where he can receive into his stronger foot before linking or progressing with carries. Scamacca‚Äôs conversion rate is amongst the best in Europe‚Äôs top five leagues, ranked in the 84th percentile and higher than Antonio‚Äôs by about 8%. This is exactly what David Moyes wanted to add to his West Ham side to give them another attacking dimension and a different route to scoring. Some suggest that the pair can even play together at certain times during the season if West Ham adopt a back-three system. Conclusion Scamacca is still an unpolished forward. He is prone to giving the ball away and can sometimes go through periods within games and across a season where he fails to influence matches as much as he could. He is still considered a raw talent but possesses immense potential to develop into a top-tier Premier League striker. With the club‚Äôs involvement in Europe again this season in the form of the UEFA Europa Conference League, some of the burden will be lifted off Antonio‚Äôs shoulders and shared with his new teammate. It will be interesting to witness how Scamacca adapts to the Premier League and to the Hammers‚Äô style of play and how well he can connect with the team‚Äôs creative forces such as Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen."

[camel-with-3-humps]

"Just stick to crypto, Vexed. Where you can now trade in the bear market you so desperately hoped for. Football is not your thing."

[Vexed]

"I'd say Keita was a bit of a flop, but they have a very good hit rate generally. They've overpaid for Nunez though surely."

[Sven Roeder]

Have never seen Nunez though understand he scored a couple at Anfield for Benfica which was probably a good audition and 4 in half a friendly last week. Will prob watch the Community Shield tomorrow (at Leicester i believe as has been bumped from Wembley due to Womens Euros on Sunday) to see what the fuss is about and to hope Haaland pulls a hamstring. Klopp has a pretty amazing record on buys recently so will be surprised if he has cocked this up

[Eerie Descent]

"Funny one with Nunez, had a look at him when we were trying to sign him in January, and couldn't work out what the fuss was about. Looked alright, nothing special. Obviously must have something, Liverpool don't really make mistakes in the transfer market these days, interesting to see how he gets on."