West Ham Opinion: Why Aleksandr Mitrovic will be a top fit for the Hammers

According to a report from the Daily Star, West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini is eyeing a move for Fulham star Aleksandr Mitrovic.

After another mediocre season at the London Stadium, Pellegrini is planning a mass exodus in an attempt to grab a Europa League spot next season.

West Ham could lose as many as seven players at the end of the season, of which three of them would be their current strikers. The Daily Star claims that Andy Carroll, Lucas Perez, as well as Javier Hernandez, could all be offloaded by the Hammers in the summer.

The injury-plagued Carroll is coming to the end of his contract in the summer and West Ham have allowed to let him leave on a free transfer. Carroll’s departure alongside Perez and Hernandez would leave Pellegrini with just two recognised forwards in Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio.

Thus, raiding relegated Fulham for Aleksandr Mitrovic would a step in the right direction for the Hammers and Pellegrini should prioritise signing the centre-forward.

Mitrovic, 24, played a pivotal role in helping Fulham win promotion to the Premier League last year. That subsequently saw him make a permanent move to Craven Cottage from Newcastle United ahead of the 2018/19 campaign. He is the Cottagers’ top scorer this season with 11 goals, but his goals were not enough to prevent Fulham from going back to the Championship.

Clearly, Mitrovic would love to be in the top-flight and after impressing in an underperforming Fulham side, West Ham surely must hand him a Premier League lifeline.

In the Serbian international, West Ham would get an old-school centre-forward, known for his excellent link-up play and aerial ability. He is neither the quickest nor the skillful of strikers, but he makes it up with his positional awareness inside the box.

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Mitrovic is fantastic in the air, and that combined with his intelligence and spatial awareness makes him deadly in the box. Add to his work ethic and desire to help his team defend set-pieces, the former Anderlecht man would be a top fit for Pellegrini’s system at West Ham.

Verdict

Mitrovic is too good for Championship football and exiting Fulham in the summer should be a no-brainer for him. That being said, Pellegrini should acquire the Serbian striker’s services, which will in turn increase West Ham’s chances of achieving their European ambitions next season.