Hammers More Shtick Than Schick?

Money bags Everton, how much their fans must have fantasised about hearing that back in the days when they didn't have two coins to rub together, are 'pursuing' Patrik Schick and just about everyone else who has a pulse, as well as the need for an even fatter bank account than all the other hugely paid performers in the Barclays Premier league.

'No money bags' West Ham had expressed an interest in acquiring the Czech International last year, but little came from it, hardly surprising given the vast amount of players Hammers have been 'linked' with on a revolving door basis at the London Stadium.

Shtick (Yiddish: שטיק‎) is a comic theme or gimmick, and is an accurate description of Hammers previous transfer dealings, something David Moyes has vowed to change now he has a 'proper' contract at the club. It will no doubt irk Moyes that his former club is so flush with cash now that they can look to bid £35 Million for the Bayer Leverkusen striker. The proposed move for the 25 year old Schick is in addition to the Toffees other acquisition targets, not instead of!
Rafa Benitez wants to bring the Leverkusen striker to Goodison Park this summer, but Schick is not a priority for Benitez, he has other areas that are more in need of strengthening, Schick would just be additional window dressing for Farhad Moshiri, Everton's owner who is desperate for success having been let down badly by Carlo Ancelotti's 'defection' to Real Madrid.

Hammers know all about managers 'dropping their pants' as soon as the Spanish giants come calling, Ancelotti's replacement at Everton, Rafa Benitez, ditched the Irons to go and manage Real Madrid, despite having 'shaken hands' on becoming the next West Ham manager.

Everton's need for an additional striker is not that urgent, whereas Hammers, who 'got away with it' last season, are desperate to add to their ranks, the club's long-standing search for a striker is threatening to take on a 'Status Quo' farewell tour repetitiveness!

Partik Schick is the real deal, he could slot in to the West Ham set up really easily, his Czech International team mates, Tomas Soucek and Vlad the impaler Coufal, would be able to make him feel right at home. Schik is a big lad who won't be bullied by the physicality of the Barclays Premier league, nor would he worry about the frenetic pace of the play.

Schick is about as close to a 'Moyes' type of player as is possible, he is the right age, has the correct temperament, is very mobile and can hold the ball up well. He is around 6'3" tall and is good with his head and with both feet, absolutely ideal for both Moyes and West Ham, Schick is about as opposite to Sebastien Haller as is possible.

Schick 'only' scored 23 goals and registered five assists over the past two seasons in the Bundesliga, but those statistics don't do the player justice, his presence and hold up play mean he 'attracts' defenders around him like moths to a light, freeing up the rest of the strike force to g about their business.

The Czech Republic player has really impressed at EURO 2020 this summer, five goals in five games will surely have made him an attractive proposition to many teams, and here in lies the problem. It would take an offer of £35-38 Million to sign him, around the same money the club spent on Felipe Anderson!

Schick ticks all the boxes, so let's see if the Irons hierarchy ARE serious about backing their manager, or if all their chat is 'Shtick' rather than about players like Schick! - Ed