It has been a frustrating summer transfer window so far for West Ham United as they are yet to make their first senior addition to David Moyes' squad.
Who have West Ham sold this summer?
The Hammers lost captain Declan Rice to Premier League rivals Arsenal for a staggering £105m fee and have sold left-back Arthur Masuaku to Besiktas.
Argentine attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini was also released upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, after 226 appearances for the club over an eight-year spell in London.
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They have not replaced any of the outgoing so far but Moyes still has over a month to go until the end of the window and one player who has been linked with a move to the club is Inter playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu.
How good is Hakan Calhanoglu?
The Turkey international has proven himself to be an outstanding performer in the Serie A over the years and he could arrive as Dimitri Payet 2.0 for West Ham if his form translates over to English football.
Calhanoglu is a set-piece master who has the ability to score stunning goals whilst also being able to split open the opposition to create chances for his teammates on a regular basis.
The 29-year-old has found the back of the net 25 times from direct free-kicks throughout his career, which includes one he scored from almost the halfway line for Hamburg against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga nine years ago.
Payet was renowned for his exceptional dead-ball ability during his time in England. His phenomenal free-kick goals against Crystal Palace and top-six side Manchester United stand out as two of his most memorable strikes.
The France international offered more than just set-piece goals, though, as he racked up an impressive nine goals and 12 assists across 30 Premier League games during the 2015/16 campaign.
Payet offered a huge threat in the final third with his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis. He produced a whopping 16 'big chances' for his teammates that season, which shows that the mercurial dynamo consistently opened up the opposition with his passing ability.
Calhanoglu, who was hailed as "exceptional" by ex-boss Stefano Pioli, played the majority of his matches in a defensive midfield role last season but his form as a central midfielder during the 2021/22 campaign suggests that he has the potential to be a Payet-esque figure for Moyes.
The £184k-per-week magician scored seven goals and provided 12 assists across 33 Serie A starts, whilst he also created 13 'big chances' for his fellow attackers. Whereas, no Hammers ace was able to assist more than five Premier League goals last term.
He is capable of being a consistently brilliant performer as the talented maestro averaged a sublime Sofascore rating of 7.53 that season. Meanwhile, no West Ham player managed a score higher than 7.19 during the 2022/23 campaign.
Therefore, Calhanoglu could be an outstanding signing for Moyes in midfield and has the potential to be a Payet 2.0 with his phenomenal set-piece quality and ability to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch week-in-week-out.
