Who is Franco Vazquez? All you need to know about West Ham’s new target
West Ham are already looking like a different side under Manuel Pellegrini. His appointment has brought in a sense of excitement at the London stadium. The former Manchester City coach is known for his high-octane, exuberant style of attacking football and that’s exactly what the Hammers’ faithful will see next season.
The new boss has already secured deals for midfielder Jack Wilshere, centre-back Issa Diop, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and full-back Ryan Fredericks.
However, the club are yet to find a replacement for injured talisman Manuel Lanzini. The Argentinian is down with a cruciate ligament injury which will keep him out of the squad for a considerable amount of time. In the aftermath, the club have been linked with Sevilla attacking midfielder Franco Vazquez.
The Hammers are reportedly interested in snatching the midfielder away from the Spanish outfit. West Ham are also linked with Felipe Anderson, but a deal has not materialized, meaning Pellegrini could go for Sevilla’s Italian international.
The 29-year-old joined Sevilla two years ago from Palermo and has gone on to make a total of 53 appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals in the process. He was signed for a reported £13million after enjoying a successful loan spell with Rayo Vallecano.
Vazquez general operates as a central attacking midfielder but is also capable of playing on the right-wing. He is quick on the ball and his direct runs often pose a huge threat to defenders. The 29-year-old is also an excellent passer of the ball, averaging a pass success rate of 74.8%.
He made a total of 22 appearances for Sevilla last season, scoring 4 goals and providing 6 assists in that time. The midfielder also provided 1 assist in 5 Champions League appearances and will certainly bring that experience to the Hammers’ squad. Vazquez is not a shot-shy player; in fact, he’s the exact opposite. The midfielder averaged 1.9 shots per game during the last term.
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With West Ham in dire need of a new creative presence in the middle of the park, Manuel Pellegrini could bring an end to the dilemma by snapping up the player and bringing him to the London stadium this summer.