West Ham ready new move for Vangelis Pavlidis – Ex-Irons scout
West Ham are among the clubs keeping tabs on Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis after his display against England, according to the club’s former scout.
Mick Brown, who worked at the London Stadium until departing alongside David Moyes in June and remains well-connected at the club, revealed exclusively to Football Insider that Premier League clubs are closely monitoring the 25-year-old.
Pavlidis scored two goals as his Greece side recorded their first-ever win against England at Wembley on 10 October.
Reports in April, before his £15.8million move to Benfica from Dutch outfit AZ, claimed the Hammers were among several sides looking to sign the Greek striker in the summer transfer window.
However, they later moved to sign Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund after missing out on Pavlidis when he made the move to Portugal.
Fullkrug’s struggles at the beginning of his West Ham career mean Julen Lopetegui’s side are still in need of a striker, while the futures of both Michail Antonio and Danny Ings remain up in the air.
As a result, it has been suggested they could make a move to sign the Benfica man just six months after having missed out on his signature.
The Hammers will face competition from fellow Premier League clubs, though, with the striker’s display at Wembley piquing the interest of sides across England.
Vangelis Pavlidis attracting Premier League interest as West Ham weigh up January move
Since joining Benfica, the striker has found the net twice in nine appearances, but his record of 80 goals in 137 appearances for AZ has impressed interested clubs.
Brown, who also spent time at Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa, explained that the Hammers could reignite their interest in the striker after what he did for Greece, alongside numerous other Premier League outfits.
“After that performance, clubs will certainly be interested,” he told Football Insider.
“Many of them will have already known about him and will have reports from watching him in the past which they’ll likely be re-visiting.
“He’s got a great goalscoring record in his career, and that’s the sort of player every team needs.
“When you think about clubs that need a striker, there are a few of those in the Premier League and he’d be a worthwhile contender.
“I know clubs have been having close looks since before he moved to Benfica.
“I’m surprised none of them made a move when he left AZ in the summer.
“From what I know the likes of West Ham are looking for a striker, and have looked at him before.
“I’ve also heard that that interest could still be there and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see their name in the running if he is to move again.”
In other news, West Ham are planning for a “worst-case scenario” after Lucas Paqueta news.
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