West Ham United are closing in on the signing of Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca in a deal worth £30.5million.
The 23-year-old seven-cap Italy international has completed a medical, according to The Guardian, and is expected to become David Moyes' fourth signing of the summer following deals for Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd and Flynn Downes.
The Italian striker has spent five years at Sassuolo but only got his full term of action came last season, where the forward scored 16 times in Italy’s top-flight, a record that saw him linked with both Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
READ MORE : How David Moyes could set up if West Ham complete Gianluca Scamacca and Filip Kostic transfers
Despite those links, Scamacca has opted to join West Ham and is set to become one of the club’s most expensive signings of all-time. Of his 16 goals in the league last season, three of them (18.8%) were headers.
That record put him joint-11th in the Serie A table for headers scored last term, and that record would have put him even higher in the Premier League rankings last term. In the Premier League, only three players scored more headers in the England’s top-flight last season than Scamacca.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, Liverpool winger Diogo Jota and Brighton and Hove Albion striker Danny Welbeck all notched four headers, with Scamacca closely behind them on three.
The Hammers are no stranger to scoring headers, with eight of their 60 goals (13.3%) coming via headers last season, a percentage higher than Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United. With Scamacca now set to be at the forefront of attacks in the Hammers’ forward line, scoring goals via headers is only likely to increase for Moyes’ side.
In fact, Scamacca last season scored the same amount of headed league goals last season as the whole Leeds United squad. Only Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea scored more headed league goals last term than the Hammers’ whole squad and Scamacca combined.
West Ham’s chances of scoring headers will also be higher due to their rate of goals from crosses and corners. Last season, they ranked joint-second for goals from crosses in the league and joint-top for goals from corners.
READ NEXT:
West Ham told to sign Armando Broja instead of Gianluca Scamacca ahead of £30.5m transfer
Tomas Soucek’s pre-season signs highlight why David Moyes can be excited ahead of new campaign
Why Gianluca Scamacca could be forced into shirt number change if West Ham transfer goes through
Europa Conference League play-off draw: West Ham’s potential opponents, date and format
West Ham suffer major injury blow with £30m signing undergoing surgery after pre-season injury
