Gianluca Scamacca’s time at West Ham United was a disaster.
There are still many question marks shrouding the signing.
Firstly, the transfer strategy of the hierarchy to pinpoint the Italian as the preferred target, when his style dramatically contrasts what David Moyes was trying to achieve.
Secondly, the striker's own obvious lack of motivation or willingness to adapt, eventually lead to his career in east London petering out into irrelevancy.
This summer, the Irons have massively strengthened the midfield with Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse and added Konstantinos Mavropanos to the defence.
The final piece of their window is the striker and a new name has emerged as a possible target…
What’s the latest West Ham United transfer news?
According to the Guardian, West Ham are looking to add some attacking reinforcements, with Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus and free agent Jesse Lingard tipped to join the London Stadium.
But, as per the Daily Mail, a lesser-known figure by the name of Georges Mikautadze, is also under consideration for the Irons.
Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…
The forward could possibly be available for around £8.5m this summer and a move to the Premier League could be his chance to formally announce himself to European football.
Currently, Moyes’ striking options consist of the veteran Michail Antonio, the influential Danny Ings, and the young Divin Mubama, so there is definitely an opportunity for Mikautadze to shine.
Who is Georges Mikautadze?
The 5 foot 9 phenom signed his first professional contract with Metz in 2019 and joined Belgian First Division side Seraing on loan – across two seasons and 57 appearances, he registered 40 goal contributions and in the summer of 2022, he returned to France looking to prove a point.
In the 2022/23 campaign, the former Lyon academy graduate recorded 31 goal involvements in Ligue 2, which meant he was named the League’s best player and top-scorer as his side secured promotion.
In the first two games of the current Ligue 1 season, Mikautadze has scored once and crafted an assist, with his manager Laszlo Bolini showering the youngster with praise, calling him a “deadly striker.”
After looking at the manner in which the 16-cap international has excelled at his previous clubs, it would be worth West Ham opting to take a punt on his potential.
It would be difficult for Mikautadze to perform worse than Scamacca in east London.
Over the past 365, ranked against his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, the Italian sits within the lowest 15% for non-penalty xG per 90, touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, and assists per 90, as well as the bottom 49% for shot-creating actions per 90 and progressive passes per 90.
This is a damning indictment of his inability to contribute towards offensive sequences or get on the end of chances.
Antonio alluded to the fact that Scamacca wasn’t a good fit for West Ham and said:
"The problem is, he can’t play the way the gaffer plays. He needs a different type of manager to play his type of football, [one who can] have other players play off him and stuff like that.”
Therefore, the £14k-per-week gem deserves a chance and he could continue his excellent form in the Claret and Blue of the London Stadium.