West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has compared summer signing Simone Zaza to Dennis Bergkamp.
The former Sassuolo and Juventus striker arrived for €5m on loan with another €25m to pay for the permanent move if he racks up a certain number of appearances.
So far he has disappointed Hammers fans and is still looking for his first Premier League goal after four appearances.
“He is definitely a good player who came from a big club to a new country,” noted Bilic.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has compared summer signing Simone Zaza to Dennis Bergkamp.
The former Sassuolo and Juventus striker arrived for €5m on loan with another €25m to pay for the permanent move if he racks up a certain number of appearances.
So far he has disappointed Hammers fans and is still looking for his first Premier League goal after four appearances.
“He is definitely a good player who came from a big club to a new country,” noted Bilic.
“New players need time. If we go back and think about Dennis Bergkamp, who needed – I don’t know – a year?
“It is quite common with even the best players from abroad. Plus, Zaza wasn’t a regular there and didn’t have match fitness. It takes time sometimes and unfortunately we don’t have that time.”
Milan have been linked with a potential January approach for Zaza, giving West Ham a way out of paying €20m to buy the 25-year-old outright.
Zaza does have at least one thing in common with Bergkamp – they are both scared of flying.
However, while the Dutchman had it written into his contract that he would not need to go on a plane, Zaza has learned to control his anxiety with medication.