Report: West Ham now following 'one of the top four' box-to-box midfielders in Europe, he's similar to Soucek

By Rory Godier

According to the Italian media outlet Sportmediaset, West Ham have begun to take a close interest in the Swedish international Matias Svanberg.

Svanberg, who is out of contract in 2023 has admirers across Europe but according to Sportmediaset, it is West Ham, AC Milan, and Everton who have shown the most interest in him.

Why are so many clubs interested in Svanberg?

Svanberg first made waves in 2019 when, at 18, he broke into the Malmo first team. In a run of 18 games in 2017, he scored 1 goal and got 5 assists while being used in a multitude of positions including winger, centre midfielder, and defensive midfielder.

This convinced Bologna to risk a £4 million bid on him. Since then, he has bedded himself into the team as the go-to centre midfielder. His star has only continued to rise since then.

Speaking to the I Magazine, A hidden source, who had told the magazine of Tottenham and Man City’s interest in Svanberg also made sure to tell them how good he was.

“He’s probably one of the top four or five No 8’s in Europe – that’s how good he is,”

“He’s playing for a very defensive Bologna side but he can bring a spark to whichever team he plays in.”

With 3 goals and 2 assists, Svanberg’s attacking output is something that is hard to come by in players that tend to stay as deep as he does, though this tendency to drop deep may be down to tactical instruction rather than natural inclination.

And with his Transfer value currently sitting at £13.5 million according to Transfermarkt, he could be a steal for any club willing to take a chance on him.

Would Svanberg suit West Ham, and is the transfer likely?

With iconic captain Mark Noble hanging up his boots at the end of the season, West Ham will definitely need a new central midfielder.

With it looking likely that the Hammers will once again be competing in Europe, backup to Thomas Soucek and Declan Rice (if Rice is still there) will be critical.

He is similar in many ways to Soucek, He is very solid defensively but definitely has the ability to contribute at the offensive end. He would suit West Ham well.

Svanberg recently told Fotballskanalen that he was in “no hurry” to tie up his future with Bologna and with his contract running out in 2023, the Italien’s will want cash in before he goes for free.

Much will depend on what European competition West Ham are in next season.

AC Milan are one of the frontrunners for Svanberg and are likely to be in the Champions League next year. If the Hammers can only offer Svanberg Europa League football, they will be at an immediate disadvantage.

If West Ham can maximise their potential in the Europa League and go on to win it, there is no reason why they can’t attract the likes of Svanberg.