Honda Rossoneri
Home  »    »    »  West Ham rumours: Bilic plots January raid on Milan for Honda

West Ham rumours: Bilic plots January raid on Milan for Honda

| 29.10.2015
SPORTSBOOK ODDS

Holly Thackeray | October 29, 2015

Hammers eyeing Honda?

Italy Soccer Serie A
It looks as though high-flying West Ham United will not be resting on their laurels this winter when the January transfer window opens, as the Londoners are being linked to a £5m swoop for out-of-favour AC Milan attacker Keisuke Honda.

New Irons boss Slaven Bilic splashed out extensively in the summer, with the likes of playmakers Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini bringing back much needed flair and thrills to Upton Park. With the mooted addition of Milan plotter Honda, who has previously been linked to Everton and Tottenham, that trend seems set to continue.

The new recruitment policy of the Hammers hierarchy has gone down a storm, and Irons fans in east London have reaped the rewards with great results already, as Bilic’s boys have beaten big-guns such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool.

With West Ham (3/1 from Coral for a top six finish) sitting comfortably in third place in the Premier League, ahead of giants Manchester United on goal difference, Croatian coach Bilic appears to have the backing and confidence to keep building.

Can Honda become Hammers hit?

Japan Soccer Iraq
Raiding the Rossoneri for Japan superstar Honda would surely be another cracking coup by the capital club (16/1 for a top four finish), as the East Asian icon has previously proven his potent credentials for both club and country.

The adaptable Japanese attacker was influential across several positions for former side CSKA Moscow, before moving to Italy. In Milan, Honda has had a mixed time, however, netting just nine times in 54 games across three seasons spent with the Serie A giants.

Last term it looked as though Honda had finally struck gold, contributing six strikes and five assists in the league, but a managerial shake-up over summer seems to have set the Blue Samurai back.

“There is no point in blaming the players.”

Italy Soccer Serie A
New Rossoneri boss Sinisa Mihajlovic added a host of expensive attackers over the off-season, including the likes of Luiz Adriano, so Honda is yet to play a full 90 minutes under the Serbian.

The Osaka-born star also recently spoke out on the controversial coach and Milan’s spending policy, stating: “There is no point in blaming the players.

“Milan have used countless players over the past few years, and this year €100 million was spent. There are a lot of players who play international football, and they still can’t perform when they join Milan.”

So, a fresh start in the new year could be on the cards for the talented 29-year-old, with Upton Park an intriguing destination. Honda’s versatility and fluidity of movement means he could slot seamlessly in to complement Payet and co, and for any price under £10m the Japan talisman could be another bargain.

Related

Read more news on West Ham United

«
»

Author

Holly Thackeray

Holly is a member of the content team, and can often be found on the sports desk writing about favourite topics Serie A and East Asian footballing nations. A recent darts convert, she is also a fully-fledged member of Barney's Army and a proud Leeds-born Manchester United fan.