West Ham recently completed the season-long loan signing of Italian international Simone Zaza from Juventus.
The 25-year-old is infamous for his unorthodox run-up before missing a crucial penalty as Italy crashed out of Euro 2016 on penalties against Germany.
But the powerful striker could prove to be a shrewd piece of business by Slaven Bilic and has already looked sharp in training. He is perhaps best known for his physical presence and clinical finishing up front so West Ham fans will be hoping to see plenty of that when he pulls on a Claret and Blue shirt this season.
When Zaza makes his West Ham debut – which could be this weekend against Watford – he will become the 7th Italian to represent the club. In addition to the six previous players, we also have had an Italian manager – Gianfranco Zola – and our relationship with the Azzurri is a mixed one.
Here I look back at our previous six Italian players and assess how successful their stints at West Ham have been.
