The Athletic’s West Ham correspondent Roshane Thomas has told the U Irons podcast that reported interest in Alex Kral could come to fruition.
After Russian football expert Arthur Petrosyan confirmed the Hammers’ interest in the 22-year-old central midfielder, who currently plays for Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow, Thomas hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the move.
Kral, an expert passer with ball-carrying ability, is Tomas Soucek’s midfield partner for the Czech Republic. Therefore, David Moyes‘ contingent of Czech stars could grow, with the Irons having already added Soucek’s compatriot Vladimir Coufal to the squad in the summer window.
Petrosyan claimed the 22-year-old would cost around £16m, given that Spartak only signed him last year from Czech outfit Slavia Prague, the same club from which West Ham signed Soucek and Coufal.
Moyes has rather faced Hobson’s choice in terms of his midfield options this season, with only three natural candidates and having had Mark Noble out injured for a period.
However, Thomas believes Kral wouldn’t break up Declan Rice and his national team partner in the Irons’ midfield, saying: “West Ham have been linked with Spartak Moscow midfielder called Alex Kral. He has the same agent as Vladimir Coufal and his valuation is in the region between £12-15 million and it’s a player West Ham are looking at – but not as a first-team regular, more so as a backup for Rice and Soucek.”
Capped 16 times by his nation, Kral has made 16 appearances for his club this season, with two assists to his name.
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Whilst bereft of central midfield options in his current squad, Moyes is seemingly casting a wide net in terms of transfer targets as we approach the January window.
The links to Kral seem credible enough following Thomas’ endorsement, and at 22 with plenty of senior international caps to his name, the Czech route could well be worth exploring once again for West Ham.
Both Coufal and Soucek have made a strong impression in east London, and they would surely welcome another former teammate with open arms.
