West Ham United Are Leading The Race For This Gifted Forward: Good Choice For The Hammers? | OneFootball

In a recent print edition, O Jogo (21 May) stated that West Ham United are leading the race for Braga forward Simon Banza. It has been mentioned that the Hammers are eyeing a move to secure the services of the Congolese striker this summer.

Banza has enjoyed a fruitful campaign at the Portuguese club as he has been responsible for putting in a series of impressive displays for them in front of the opponent’s goal. The Congolese forward has found the back of the net 23 times and picked up five assists in 41 appearances for Braga this season across multiple competitions.

The 27-year-old has been a good performer in the opposition half and has done well to average 3.1 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in Liga Portugal. However, he needs to find a way to improve his ball distribution up top after making just 66.9% of his attempted passes in the Portuguese top tier (stats via whoscored).

His current contract at Braga will run out in the summer of 2027. Thus, it won’t be easy for West Ham to snap him up on the cheap in the upcoming transfer window.

Sporting Braga’s French forward Simon Banza (L) vies with Malmo FF’s Bosnian defender Dennis Hadzikadunic during the UEFA Europa League 1st round group D football match between SC Braga and Malmo FF at the Municipal stadium of Braga on November 3, 2022. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)

Will Banza Be A Decent Choice For West Ham United?

Banza can create a yard of space for himself to get a few strikes in at goal. He has proven himself to be a decent finisher in front of the opponent’s goal and can engineer some meaningful openings for his teammates in the final third.

The France-born talent is a good dribbler with the ball as well but needs to work on improving his link-up play up top. Standing at 1.89m, he can be a real handful for the opposition defenders but is still unproven at the highest level.

Banza would undeniably add more firepower to West Ham‘s attack and could help the Hammers challenge across all fronts over the next few years. At 27, the Congolese sensation is about to enter his prime which makes him an excellent choice for the East London club to consider in this summer transfer period. However, there are some question marks over whether he can cope with the high intensity of Premier League football.