Nikola Vlasic makes big Michail Antonio claim

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Nikola Vlasic has told West Ham’s official website that he would include Michail Antonio amongst the top three strikers in the Premier League.

Vlasic is gearing up for his debut with the Hammers. The club spent £25 million to sign the CSKA Moscow star.

It comes after the Croatia international scored 23 goals across the previous two full campaigns in Russia.

He is a player who can play almost anywhere across the forward line. So that opens the door for David Moyes to play him alongside or in place of Antonio.

Antonio is the Premier League’s top goalscorer with four strikes so far. He has also recently become the club’s all-time leading scorer since the competition’s rebrand in 1992.

And Vlasic outlined just how highly he rates the 31-year-old.

“Michail is a beast and what he’s done over the last year and a half is amazing,” he told West Ham’s official website. “I think he’s probably in the top three strikers in the Premier League.”

Vlasic and Antonio could help inspire West Ham to another special season

West Ham have made an outstanding start to the campaign. They sit second with seven points on the board after three games.

It comes after a season in which they booked a ticket to the group-stages of the Europa League.

And the early signs suggest that they could enjoy another spectacular year this time around.

Signings such as Vlasic certainly boost those hopes of success. They also landed Alex Kral on loan on deadline day. But also keeping their key players, particularly Antonio, could be key.

And if the pair can strike up an impressive partnership, there are not going to be many defences capable of containing West Ham over the coming months.