Duvan Zapata’s Move to England

Oh East London, is wonderful, Oh East London is wonderful, well at least that’s what incoming Colombian Zapata will be hoping anyway, so away from the boozers and cockney meat market stalls and corner sellers selling moody gold, I’m aware I’m painting a grand old portrait of some Eastenders scene, but it might just be the right place for the big man to ply his towering trade.

It’s common knowledge Big Sam, loves a big man, Andy Carroll is a prime example, Kevin Davies and that big Croatian no one hears about Nikola Kalinic a masterstroke of business back in 2009, bought by Allardyce for Blackburn for around £6 million squid, take note Duvan that’s your first lesson in cockney rhyming slang. So for around the same price the West Ham boss has all but got the 22 year-old to dot the I’s and cross the t’s and the East London club are just awaiting clearance and the move will be completed subject to a work permit. So what are West Ham getting for the £6.7 million they’re paying?

West Ham are attempting to persuade whoever hands out these work permits they should allow him to play in England as he is a “special talent”, the appeal panel must think they’re having a bubble, lesson number two Duvan. That being said Porto and Dortmund have both expressed some fleeting interest and well so far, haven’t made a move for him. Tipped to be the next big Colombian star Zapata had a decent season with Argentinian side Estudiantes giving them a tidy return of 14 goals in 30 games, but West Ham have being here before. Barrera, I wanted to like him, I really did, but the less said about him the better? Savio? Now Savio is a tremendous example to use of how a player can go wrong, a one off, a player reportedly on the run from the police. Hammers fans wouldn’t mind seeing him behind bars mainly because he wore a stripped mask and a jumper when signing, either that or his agent made a video of Savio playing in his back garden, recorded it, sent it off to Hammer’s officials and that was seemingly good enough to get him signed, either way, he was the biggest waste of money the club had seen.

A similar frame to Benteke and a similar fee, surely lighting can’t strike twice and a coup be made on the Belgian’s scale, it’s unlikely, but the bubbling hype around this young Colombian is promising and with Carroll likely out to around late August, early September, it could be a platform for Zapata to showcase what he has in his locker.

By Michael King

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