Why West Ham should make a move for Olympiacos’ Kostas Fortounis
Back in June 2019, the Daily Star had claimed that West Ham were interested in signing Olympiacos attacker Kostas Fortounis. Unfortunately, he ruptured his right knee ligament during a pre-season game and needed to undergo surgery, thus ruling out a transfer.
Kostas Fortounis, 27, has been a regular in the last five years for the Greek giants after a spell in Germany with FC Kaiserslautern. He enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Olympiacos last season, scoring 17 goals and providing 16 assists in 43 games all competitions.
The knee surgery in June kept him out for the majority of this season and Fortounis only returned to action in late January. So far, he has played nine games across all competitions, scoring a goal.
Meanwhile, West Ham have endured a torrid campaign in the Premier League and currently sit 16th in the table. They have won just once in their last five league games. Truly, the East London outfit are in real threat of getting relegated.
The Hammers have struggled for goals despite signing Sebastien Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer. Haller has managed just 7 goals in 27 league games, failing to live up to the high expectations of the London Stadium faithful. They also signed Albian Ajeti but the Swiss has managed only 8 Premier League appearances till date.
Apart from lacking a prolific goalscorer, West Ham are also in dire need of creativity. The likes of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko have struggled to deliver the goods this season, while Jack Wilshere’s injury nightmares continue to haunt him at the Olympic stadium. Moreover, West Ham sold Pedro Obiang to Sassuolo in the summer but failed to bring in a replacement at that time.
Considering the fact that skipper Mark Noble is ageing and Carlos Sanchez has entered the final few months of his current contract, David Moyes should make it one of his top priorities to strengthen his midfield options before the 2020/21 campaign commences. Having said that, Moyes should plot a summer swoop for Kostas Fortounis.
Between 2011 and 2014, Fortounis played for FC Kaiserslautern in Germany. The midfielder played 77 times in the two top divisions of German football, scoring three goals and providing five assists. He has been excellent since returning to Greece in 2014 as his total tally at Olympiacos stands at 68 goals and 60 assists in 205 appearances.
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Those numbers are absolutely incredible considering the fact that the Greece international is not a centre-forward. Fortounis is a versatile midfielder who can operate in central midfield, as a No.10 or on the wing. He would add quality to West Ham’s midfield and support Declan Rice and Mark Noble in the engine room. Unlike Rice and Noble though, Fortounis is more of an attacking threat than the other two.
Verdict
Fortounis has proven himself to be a top playmaker for Olympiacos. At 27, the Greek star is at the right age to test himself in the Premier League and West Ham must do everything in their powers to sign him.
