David Moyes should urge West Ham United to launch a summer swoop to sign Bologna FC 1909 goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.
What’s the word?
According to TuttoBolognaWeb, several Premier League sides are monitoring Skorupski’s situation at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara after his impressive run of form in the Serie A.
The 29-year-old Poland international has kept four clean sheets in 18 Italian top-flight outings this season, as Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side strive to secure a mid-table finish.
Skorupski has been Mihajlovic’s number one between the sticks whenever fit this term, having only sat out seven fixtures throughout the 2020/21 campaign as a result of a fractured hand sustained in December.
West Ham are thought to be the keenest side considering pursuing a deal for the four-cap shot-stopper, likely as a result of his compatriot, Lukasz Fabianski, currently being set to leave the London Stadium as a free agent in the summer.
Crystal Palace, Brighton and Hove Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers plus Aston Villa are also in the running, should they look to cause a shake-up in goal during the off-season.
Fabianski revealed in December that he had been in discussions with the Irons hierarchy over a new, long-term deal, but he is yet to put pen to paper despite entering the final three months of his current £65,000-per-week terms.
The Hammers have also been linked with potential replacements in Manchester United outcast Dean Henderson, who would command a £40m asking rice, and Sheffield United’s number one Aaron Ramsdale, who intends to remain at Bramall Lane regardless of what division the Blades are playing in next season.
Should West Ham sign Skorupski?
While Fabianski is still capable of pulling off remarkable and sometimes unbelievable saves, it would appear that West Ham are testing the waters to see if a suitable replacement can be found in the summer transfer market for the goalkeeper who turns 36 in April.
Skorupski would be a much more lowbrow signing than a Henderson, who earns £100k-p/w at Old Trafford, or Ramsdale, who is being eyed for a senior England call-up, but the Bologna favourite is one of the best-performing shot-stoppers in the Serie A this season.
The £3.5m-rated ‘keeper averages the second-most saves per game (4.06) in the Italian top-flight to Cagliari Calcio’s Alessio Cragno (4.08), along with the second-most from shots faced inside the penalty area (2.72) by players who have featured at least five times, per SofaScore.
Skorupski has also only been beaten by three of 26 shots faced from attempts taken outside of the box, while Fabianski averages 2.88 saves per Premier League game and has conceded from five of 34 shots struck outside the area.
Skorupski has also appeared to turn his reputation around in Italy, having been described as being “very arrogant” by Empoli FC President Fabrizio Corsi after a loan spell at the Carlo Castellani Stadium before sealing a €9m (£8m) move to Bologna from parent side AS Roma in 2018.
Now, the Poland ‘keeper leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit of helping I Rossoblu secure points and does not put himself above the team, as shown by his comments a few weeks ago.
“We are working on penalties, watching videos of our opponents and I waited to the end. Fortunately, I went the way he took it and saved the spot-kick,” Skorupski told Sky Sport Italia, via quotes by Football-Italia, after beating SS Lazio 2-0 in February.
“I made a couple of good saves in the second half too, but the whole team did really well and earned these three precious points.”
If Moyes is looking for a suitable Fabianski replacement and if he is keen to operate on a strict budget – ruling out moves for Henderson et al. – then he should urge West Ham to launch a swoop on Bologna for Skorupski.
AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a huge blow with a David Moyes favourite ruled out until mid-April…