11 goals in 22 games – This Serie A beast would be a perfect signing for West Ham amidst Arnautovic exit reports

Why Torino star Andrea Belotti would be a perfect striker for West Ham

West Ham star Marko Arnautovic could be on the move to the Chinese Super League (h/t the Guardian) but the club are adamantly refusing to sell him. However, they need to start looking for a replacement as the Austrian forward is their second highest scorer in all competitions. Without him, the Hammers have only Javier Hernandez and the injury-prone Andy Carroll.

Neither of the two stars is good enough to replace the prolific Arnautovic but that’s exactly why the Sun and even Football Italia have reported – the London side are targeting Torino captain Andrea Belotti.

The 25-year-old is at the top of many shortlists including AS Roma, Tottenham and AC Milan but Torino seem reluctant to let their top scorer go. So far, the Italian forward has produced 11 goals in 22 appearances this season but still looks far from being at his best.

Belotti’s best came during his breakout season where the 25-year-old was a beast and impossible to stop; that’s how impactful he was. In just 38 appearances during the 2016/17 season, Andrea Belotti produced 36 goals, scoring 28 goals and 8 assists. The Italian was at his best and it was his debut season for Torino.

For West Ham, Belotti would be a perfect striker for the London side. His rare blend of pace, power and lethal finishing makes him a rarity in football, and that combined with aerial prowess and link-up play further makes his abilities rarer.

However, while the 25-year-old has no abject weakness to his game, his consistency can be questioned along with his abilities to go injury free through a whole season.

Last season, Belotti fell apart and struggled to hit the same heights. The Torino captain managed to score only 13 goals and provided 7 assists in all competitions. However, he outscored every single West Ham star, including Arnautovic himself, who finished with 11 goals and 8 assists.

Read More: Despite £75 million price tag, West Ham should push all the way to sign this red-hot PL star as Arnautovic replacement

Despite all that, Belotti, like Arnautovic, has periods where he cannot find a barn-door, which makes him useless to the team he’s playing for. But the Italian charges through the trouble and with Manuel Pellegrini to guide him, the 25-year-old can do it in a shorter time span.

If he does that and adds consistency to his list of various skills, there will be few goalkeepers in the world who keep out Andrea Belotti.