West Ham United Are Facing Tough Competition For This Serie A Midfielder: Is He Worth The Fight? | OneFootball

In a recent report, Mondo Udinese claimed that West Ham United are facing tough competition for Udinese midfielder Lazar Samardzic. It has been stated that the Hammers would have to rival Brighton and Hove Albion, Napoli and Juventus in the race to recruit the Serbian talent this summer.

Samardzic has caught the eye with his performances at the centre of Udinese’s midfield during this Serie A campaign. The Serbian midfield ace has done well to score five goals and secure two assists in 32 matches for the Italian club this season across all competitions.

The 22-year-old has proven his worth in the middle of the park by averaging 1.1 tackles, 0.7 clearances, 1.6 shots, 1.9 key passes, 1.2 crosses and 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in Serie A. He has also been accurate when distributing possession from midfield based on his pass success rate of 81.4% in the Italian top tier (stats via whoscored).

Samardzic’s current contract at the Italian club will expire in the summer of 2026 which could make it difficult for the Hammers to sign him on a cut-price deal in the upcoming transfer period.

VERONA, ITALY – APRIL 20: Lazar Samardzic of Udinese Calcio during the Serie A TIM match between Hellas Verona FC and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on April 20, 2024 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images) (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

West Ham United Are Facing Tough Competition For Samardzic: Is He Worth The Fight?

Samardzic is a good tackler of the ball and usually clears the danger when needed. He can shoot the ball with power and accuracy from long range. Furthermore, the Serbian talent has got the vision to set up a few promising chances for his teammates up top and is a decent crosser of the ball as well.

Samardzic can make some impressive runs with the ball from midfield. He mainly operates as a box-to-box midfielder but can also play in the number ten position if asked to do so. We can expect him to add some energy and dynamism to West Ham‘s midfield department.

At 22, Samardzic has got a lot of room to grow as a footballer but could prove himself to be a success story at the London Stadium in the long run if the Hammers can devise a way to snap him up this summer. However, only time will tell whether he can make a smooth transition to life in the Premier League. Still, he would be well worth the fight, so the Hammers should step up their chase to sign him later this year.